Noelnadesan's Blog

Sharon was quite a bother, often calling about her pet dog. Most calls were trivial and didn’t need my immediate response, nor were they urgent health concerns after hours.

One cold Melbourne winter night, I was about to go to bed when my mobile rang in a snivelling tone. When I answered wearily, I found to my dismay that the caller was none other than Sharon. Princess, her pet dog, was having difficulty delivering her puppies, she said. After asking about the male dog that impregnated Princess, I told her to wait and contact me later. I knew her well because she always called me at the first sign of any problem, even if it might be nothing serious. As expected, after an hour or so, she called me again to say that Princess had delivered a male puppy and that both the mother and the puppy were in good health.

About six months later, she contacted me again to discuss issues Princess experienced during her delivery. When I asked about the male dog involved, she mentioned it was Oscar, the puppy Princess had given birth to six months prior. I advised her as a precaution that puppies resulting from inbreeding often exhibit physical deformities, and recommended that Oscar be castrated to prevent further inbreeding. Luckily, the new female puppy was delivered without any complications or deformities.

After six months, Sharon called me again. This time, she told me that the female puppy born six months earlier to Princes was having trouble giving birth. Since I was aware of the earlier history, I, suspicious, asked about the male dog that had impregnated the puppy. Her reply shocked me, as the male dog was none other than Oscar.

I was deeply angered by the fact that Oscar had been allowed to impregnate not only his mother but also the sister/daughter born of incest between the mother and Oscar.

“Sharon, I repeatedly advised you of the adverse consequences of inbreeding. Looks like my advice fell on deaf ears! The newborn is sure to have some kind of deformity,” I said sharply, then hung up.

After a week, she visited my clinic with the newborn puppy and requested euthanasia because it was born with only three legs. I firmly warned her that, at this late stage, she should understand that puppies resulting from inbreeding within the same lineage are likely to be deformed, especially since she was already holding the evidence—a three-legged puppy.

 After she left, I was left thinking about the incident. My mind travelled over many episodes. I recollected an incident that took place several years back, when I was employed on a farm in South India.

There was a farmhand named Velu, who hailed from one of the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. He used to claim proudly that he was a direct descendant of the great Tamil King Kattabomman, who was hanged by the British for revolting against them during the colonial era. He also boasted that he belonged to an upper, dominant caste that owned land there.

During that time, he was involved in a scandalous relationship with a female co-worker, Devi, who worked at the farm. Thanks to the gossip among farm workers, news of this clandestine affair spread like wildfire across the surrounding villages. Their affair set everyone’s tongues wagging.

I told him that an affair between two grown-ups is absolutely a private matter. But since both are single, they might as well get married to put a full stop to this gossip.

He refused politely with a sheepish smile.

When I probed him further about his refusal to marry Devi, he revealed that a girl was waiting for him in his native village, whom he would marry as per tradition. He revealed that the girl was none other than his own sister’s daughter. To my amazement, I also learnt that the girl was only seven years old.

“You are a sinner! You are 28 years old. How could you marry a girl of seven?”

“According to the custom followed by our caste through the ages, I am bound to marry only my sister’s daughter. She is seven now, but I will marry her when she is grown and mature. In that way, we will keep our lands within our family’s control!”

I have read in history books that in medieval Europe, among the ancient Greek and other royal families, marriage was even conducted between the closest of blood relatives. For instance,

 In Egypt, the famous Cleopatra married her younger brother, officially and legally, as per the norms of the day, in the presence of Julius Caesar, with whom she was in a relationship, to keep the royal lineage within the family.

In Southern Tamil Nadu, marriages between close relatives, like an uncle and niece, are primarily performed to maintain land and property within the family.

Charles Darwin and Gregor Mendel certainly wouldn’t be happy, I presume!