Ranchi, Jan. 7: Fifty-two per cent of tribal women prefer life partners having government jobs while eight per cent and 40 per cent prefer farmers and businessmen.

Tribal customs, hospitality, rituals and food were few of the topics in the survey that two students of Department of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, BIT Mesra, carried out as part of their curriculum.

The two students, Abhiram Robin and Indu Makhija, started their survey in July 2007 as part of the hotel management syllabus that required them to know about the behavioural approach of tribals and their food habits.

The students visited the tribal department library and 10 villages surrounding BIT, Mesra. They conducted the survey mainly on Munda, Mahali, Chikbaraik, Lohra and Kharia tribes.

According to the survey report, 65 per cent of tribals wear traditional dresses while only 35 per cent follow the modern dress code. As far as solemnising marriages is concerned, 67 per cent prefer the summers while 25 per cent of marriages take place in winter. Among 60 per cent of tribals, dowry is not prevalent, revealed the students.

Seventy-five per cent of tribals do not believe in inter-caste marriages while 62 per cent of them do not meet their partners before marriage. Tribals spend Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000 for organising a marriage and serve rice, dal, vegetables, one non-vegetarian item and sweets to guests at the reception.

Robin said that one practice they noticed during the survey was that the youth’s dormitory is replaced by common houses where meetings between partners are conducted.

“When marriages are fixed, 77 per cent of them deliver home-to-home invitations while 13 per cent invitations are given through interviews and 10 per cent through public announcements,” he said.

Besides, tribal have maintained their traditions and remained unaffected by influences of Christianity in their marriages. They are adhering to their age-old customs as far as marriages are concerned, he added.

Sonia Gupta, one of the faculty members under whom the duo completed their seventh semester project, said the students submitted their research last month.

“The students also found out how parents are involved in choosing partners, characteristic features in tribal marriage and also the dowry aspect,” added Gupta.

Robin said that in the eight semesters of their course they are given topics like dowry-related problems, problems after marriage and comparative study of a student’s life in certain villages.