The mining downtrend has punched a hole even in marital plans of Bellary youth

The mining downtrend has punched a hole even in marital plans of Bellary youth

By Shivakumar G Malagi

Bellary: Dec 4: The global economic meltdown that is reverberating from Wall Street's fallen banks to factories in China to iron ore mines in Bellary has punched a hole even in marital plans of youth here.
In 2001, the commodity Bull Run was still two years away. However, a construction boom in China and other emerging economies had begun. By 2002, the linkages and the supply chains had firmly got established and the mining boom was fully in motion in this ore-rich district.
Over the next few years, a mining frenzy took over the region. Large companies, small businessmen, farmers, politicians, migrants and even the groups of college drop-outs all jumped in. They dug for iron ore everywhere in Sandur-Hospet-Bellary.
"Digging" became the only English word commonly understood by everybody in the district. A class of newly rich middle-class youth in their 25 plus emerged from mining profits within a span of three years entering mainly into mineral trading and transportations. Flashy houses and swanky cars revealed them to the world. They were only away of one good-looking bride from `high society' to marry.
When it came in this July, it came without a warning. Just when the global iron ore industry was getting used to a record price of $175 per tonne tanked to $50 a tonne as the Chinese demand started evaporating. The US financial markets started stumbling from one crisis to another.
These distant events, proved a fatal to the elaborate web of businesses segments depending on the ore money and silently, spell a gloom on marital plans of youth in mining business.
They were in demand on par with white-colored professions here since 2004. Even the parents of brides settled in big cities in Andhra and Karnataka were also not wary of such proposals.
When it was the case of youth dependent on mining industry, youth from the families of big mine owners and logistic firms have made it in big way. Many have got married with daughters of reputed business tycoons, politicians and IAS officers. For instance, a daughter of Shivalinga Murthy, Director of Department of Mines and Geology was married to a youth from Gogga Bros., mining company in Hospet previous month.
But, the partying has slowed down in this marriage season and there is a feeling of a bad hangover all over the district. Siddesh, who owns two 15-ton vehicles which are gathering dust on the roadside of Papinayakanahalli since three months was now told 'sorry, we are not interested in proposal' by brides parents who earlier discussed up to the fixation of marriage date.
"we can't find a bride in these times. Brides' parents are now wary of marrying their daughters to us. They say we are in trouble and insecured", Siddesh remarks.
In July, I had set around 40 brides for youths into mining related occupations and even marriages were fixed in this December's Kartheeka maasa, says Durgesh, who runs a matrimonial house since two decades in Hospet.
"But by the October, half of the parents of those brides have intimated me that they are not quite happy with the proposal and got a better well settled guy and even some told me to wait another six months", he remarked.

Eom/Shivakumar G Malagi/Bellary