Unnao: Attired in crisp formals, a prospective groom and his parents stand at the gate of a woman’s house in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district. As nervous, trembling hands reached out to press the doorbell, thoughts of dowry, kundali matching and desirable personality traits cloud the family’s mind. While the meeting between the families went off well, a strange demand left the man biting his nails.
The woman’s family had asked the man to get a ‘No HIV’ certificate. “That’s the new match-making chart for us to ensure couples here have a happy married life,” a resident of Unnao district’s Prem Ganj said.
The new method to check compatibility was ‘invented’ after at least 58 people were tested positive for HIV in three pockets of Bangarmau town of Unnao recently.
According to a Times of India report, when Muneeshwar (name changed) visited his fiancée’s house in Tirwa area of Kannauj district last Monday, the woman’s parents asked the man’s family to abide by their condition prior to the marriage.
Despite the families giving nod for their marriage, the woman’s family was a little jittery as the man hailed from Prem Ganj, one of the three blocks where people were tested positive for the deadly disease after a quack had allegedly used infected syringes to treat scores of his patients.
"On Saturday, after getting the test report, Muneeshwar and his family members heaved a sigh of relief as he had tested negative for HIV. The doctor’s report confirmed that he is not an HIV carrier," a relative of Muneeshwar, who played the role of a mediator between families, informed TOI.
When the parents and siblings of the bride were informed about the report, they too were elated and gave their final consent, asking the boy's family to come with ‘baraat’ on March 4.
"People, who are coming here with marriage proposals, have started insisting the locals to get a ‘No HIV’ certificate. Most of the residents, however, seem to have accepted the demand and go for HIV test to avoid hurdles in future," confirmed Sunil Kumar, a local corporator.
This unusual demand might upset some people in our traditional society who may even call off a marriage, but both the sides are praiseworthy, said Dr IS Gilada, President, AIDS Society of India.
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