it looks similar to north indian relationship, except that, a marriage makes it automatic to be part of husband's family, and husband (and his family) becomes part of wife's family...

ours is similar too (there is a little difference though). so my entire village (actually populatiowise and area wise it is equivalent to a city in England, don't have cathedrals, but have many temples.., and cathedral/temple is not a criteria for us to categorise what it is!!!) ok.. where were we, I was saying that all families of my caste in the whole village are relatives.. and very close relatives.. there is no concept of "interfering" etc.. anybody's problem/happiness is everybody's... whenever I go home, I get greeted from the bus stand and it would take me long time to reach home, as I have to talk to them well before I say "see you later (whidh btw, will be very soon at my house)" and news reaches my house before me... I always leave luggage at the bus stand itself, as someone will bring it from there. I might have had coffee before reaching home... (house is five minutes walk from the bus stand if i can go normally..lol.) I have to really refuse for meal so hardly saying that I didn't brush my teeth yet, I really need a shower or my stomach is upset because of junk food during travel etc... always the first day I do not get to sleep, or take rest.. house is filled with people... I have got so many cousin sisters and brothers... they all call me lathakkaa (Latha the elder sister... as people at home call me Latha)...


The difference in south indian "family" structure being.... meternal aunt/uncle and paternal aunt/uncle are different..


mother's brother is mama (orginal tamil ammaan).
mother's sister is periyamma if elder to mother or chithi if younger to mother. both are equivalent to mother...

father's brothers are periyappa, if elder to father, chithappa, if younger to father.. both are equivalent to father..

Father's sister is Aththai.

father's sister and mother's brother can get married.... their children can be married to us... I mean, since I have been using "father/mother" term, children of father/mother is me or my brother... I can get married to my mama's son or aththais son.

mother's sister's son is like my brother..
father's brother's son is like my brother.. (father's brother can marry mother's sister)...

this is strictly follwed however confusing the network has become, it has to be followed.. i mean whether the boy is brother-like relation or not has to be verified and if yes, marriage is forbidden and is considered equivalent to incest...


when I go home the closest family I meet and the cousin sisters (sisterlike relation) and cousing brothers (brother like relation) I see first are... children of mother's father's meternal uncle's sons's children (remember, grandchildren through daughter are different from grandchilren through son)... they live next door to us (well all people live in that street are part of that family tree anyway..)... I do not have same kind of well maintained family-tree from my father's side. they are there (in a different village), it is just we are not very close to them (feelings-wise)....