Monday, July 14, 2014

Baby, light my fire

.....as her father had no son, she had every right to light the funeral pyre.....Opposing one and all, she finally lit the funeral pyre of her father, Ajay Yadav....."I will just not perform all the rites but also allow some of my hair to be cut"......


Simple equation for the 21st century: tweak the theology(s) and make all clauses gender neutral. And with that excuse out of the way, son preference will disappear (hopefully). And yes, Viking funerals are classy (but we suspect...not sustainable).

Truth be told, we sympathize with Arya Samaj people who claim not to believe in caste, rituals and idolatry. But then we also feel that people should be free to follow the path that suits them. However girls must have justice and they must be honored. Otherwise, forget about that thing called society.
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She may be in the eye of a storm for lighting the funeral pyre of her father ignoring objections from her close relatives and immediate neighbours on Saturday, but Shalini, a Class XII student, remained unrepentant.


She claims that as her father had no son, she had every right to light the funeral pyre. Opposing one and all, she finally lit the funeral pyre of her father, Ajay Yadav, on Saturday. Now, she is determined to go ahead with the rest of the 'shhradh'. "I will just not perform all the rites but also allow some of my hair to be cut," she says.

An alcoholic, Ajay Yadav, breathed his last at his small house in Maranga locality on the outer fringe of Purnia town after protracted illness on Saturday leaving behind his wife, Mira Sinha and two daughters, Rohini and Shalini. Mira Sinha is an anganwadi sevika since 2007 while Rohini is married to Ravi Kumar in Jamalpur in Munger district.

Though close relatives and neighbours did everything possible to stop Shalini from lighting the pyre quoting Hindu scriptures, she went ahead with it. Her close relatives and immediate neighbours did not go to the cremation ghat as a mark of opposition. 
Now the same people are doing everything in their power to stop Shalini from going ahead with the rest of the rites. "They are preventing the local pundits and thakur from performing 'shhradh' and related rites," Shalini told local reporters at her house on Sunday. "But, if they are bent on such mischief, I will bring pundits and others from outside," she said. "What crime have I done if I lit the funeral pyre of my father and want to observe the rites," she says with a tinge of defiance.

Quoting the last wish of Yadav, his close relatives, however, maintain that he always wanted his nephew to perform the last rites. Ajay Yadav was always shabbily treated by his wife, two daughters and even his son-in-law, they insinuate. This is, however, strongly disputed by Mira Sinha who tied the nuptial knot with Yadav in 1994 in spite of stiff opposition from relatives. It was an inter-caste marriage.

A small piece of land has been left behind by Yadav, averred Mira Sinha before newsmen. "My husband had five brothers and some of them have already forcibly grabbed a small piece of land," she said.

Meanwhile, Purnia Mahila Morcha chief Nutan Anand, who called on the bereaved members on Sunday, has assured them of all possible help, even promising to approach the district administration for providing security to them. 
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regards

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