Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
The Indian constitution forbids untouchability and caste or religious discrimination. Caste, on the other hand, is extremely important among Indians. India’s social system is ruled by the Hindu caste system. Even though we live in the twenty-first century, we continue to use the caste system. Each caste had its own set of rituals, customs and values. As a result of increased education, employment, urban growth, modernization and technological innovation, inter-caste marriages have gradually gained widespread acceptance in India. According to the 2011 census, 5.8% of the population throughout India, inter-caste marriages account for one-quarter of all marriages. For many years, however, Indians might have a conservative attitude towards inter-caste marriages. ‘Upper castes’ have viciously maintained the generational purity of blood by imposing endogamy and denying upper caste women the agency to marry outside their own castes. People are culturally conformist, so when their daughters or sons marry outside their culture, religion or language, it can lead to honour-related violence or honour killing. A total of 145 honour killing incidents occurred in India between 2017 and 2019 (Government tells in Lok Sabha in 2021). Furthermore, the majority of honour killings are misidentified as suicides.

Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Ahead of Print.
Acculturative stress is linked to an increase in mental health concerns, such as depression, anxiety, loneliness, and hopelessness. This study investigates the role of demographics in acculturation stress in inter-caste married people. In India, most of the communities did not openly state that an individual from other castes was not to be married, but that it deliberately encouraged marriages from the same castes to support society. However, due to the urbanization, globalization amongst Indian youth ready to marry other caste. This study investigates the role of demographics in acculturation stress amongst inter-caste married individuals. Seventy-four inter-caste married individuals were selected through purposive sampling, and the data were collected with the help of the Social, Attitudinal, Familial, and Environmental (SAFE) Acculturation stress scale developed by Mena, Padilla, and Maldonado (1987). The results revealed that there is significant difference in acculturation stress amongst inter-caste married individuals based on duration of the marriage and income of the family. There is no significant difference in acculturation stress based on gender, area of living, and types of family. It concluded that acculturation stress has an important role in the inter-caste marriage. The lack of support from family, friends, and society contributes to increased acculturation stress of inter-caste married individuals.