Page:Malabari, Behramji M. - Gujarat and the Gujaratis (1882).djvu/241

Rh upon him, which [makes a real and responsible Hindu of him. The Parsi boy likewise has the Kusti ceremony performed on him, and the Mahomedan undergoes Sunnat.

The girl is a heavy responsibility, and parents are always uneasy about her future. They anxiously look out for a suitable match, and as soon as they can they get rid of the dangerous possession. "A girl is best at her father-in-law's," says the native proverb, "as is the elephant at the Rájá's." Indeed, every parent looks upon a daughter as a" white elephant." Amongst the Hindus it is extremely difficult to find suitable husbands in one caste and suitable wives in another.

Not only is intermarriage between two castes nearest in customs and rites prohibited, but marriage between cousins of the remotest degree sternly is looked down upon. Such connection is incest according to Hindu law. The rarity of a