Placating Kin: Rituals and Infertility

Abstract

Newlywed couples in Telangana perform various rituals to get blessed with children, which usually take place soon after marriage. In the absence of immediate conception, the couple is advised by the extended family to perform specific rituals to appease fertility gods. This article attempts to document fertility rituals in the Telangana region and the crucial ways in which they help men diagnosed with infertility. It will discuss in detail a commonly performed ritual called Balamma. In addition, the article highlights rituals performed to propitiate snakes, the significance of horoscopes, and consultations with local “healer-astrologer-medicine man/woman”. The article suggests that the efficacy of these rituals should not be seen in whether they result in procreation. Rather, the main objective of the rituals is to placate the extended patrilineal family and shift attention and blame from the couple to angry supernatural beings. The article establishes the crucial role played by these rituals in safeguarding men diagnosed with infertility, as they are more reluctant than women to discuss their diagnosis.