India, Jan. 26 -- Fifteen-year-old Rupali (name changed), a class topper from a remote Bhil village in Rajasthan's Kotra Block, dreamed of becoming a teacher. Last year, during the Kheechna fair, a local tradition where young Bhils choose partners, she left with a boy she liked. Her parents were upset but eventually accepted it as part of their tradition.

Within a few months, everything changed in Rupali's life. School stopped, her books gathered dust, and a difficult pregnancy left her weak and exhausted.

"I chose," Rupali says quietly. "But no one explained what that choice would cost me."

Her story reflects the dilemma faced by several girls in Kotra Block who are caught between cultural autonomy and the sudden, overwhelming respons...