Couple Ostracised For Inter-caste Marriage In Odisha’s Nabarangpur For 25 Years

Bhubaneswar: A couple in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district has endured over two decades of social ostracisation after marrying outside their caste, with the local Gouda community refusing reconciliation despite repeated appeals.

The ordeal involves Dhaniram Gouda of Salebhatta village under Chandahandi block, who married Magasira, a woman from Sardhapur village in neighbouring Kalahandi district. While Dhaniram belongs to the Kosoliya Gouda community, Magasira comes from a Dalit background. Their marriage, solemnised 25 years ago, was never accepted by Dhaniram’s community.

Recalling his efforts to regain acceptance, Dhaniram said, “I offered to sell my livestock and use the proceeds for rituals to be reinstated in the community, but they rejected it. Instead, they spread slander and never allowed us back.”

His wife Magasira shared, “They have kept us ostracised for nearly 24 years. The other villagers have no issues with us — it’s only the Gouda community members who treat us this way. They even hurled insults at me.”

The couple has remained cut off from essential social practices, unable to perform rituals for Dhaniram’s late father or their 11-year-old son. The prolonged exclusion, Dhaniram said, has taken a severe mental toll.

In a ripple effect, around 60 families who supported the couple’s reintegration faced social boycott too. Of them, 23 families were later readmitted after fulfilling certain conditions.

“They only took back those who could pay a fine of Rs 10,000 and shave their heads. The rest of us, unable to afford it, remain ostracised,” said Prahallad Baisala, one of those still excluded.

Defending the community’s stance, Masturam Bagarti, secretary of the Gouda community, said, “The earlier office-bearers were responsible for this. We’ve invited them for meetings several times, but they never turned up. Instead, they formed their own group with a separate head and secretary, refusing to cooperate.”

“Despite several attempts to draw the attention of local authorities, no lasting solution has emerged. Today, around 40 families continue to live under an informal social boycott, highlighting persistent caste-based divisions in rural Odisha,” the local residents said.