Bride Burning: A Curse of Indian Society
Are we really a part of 21st century or we still are stuck in old centuries and their traditions and norms? ‘SATI’., Have you heard about it? It was an ancient tradition in which a young bride was burnt alive along with her deceased husband. Archaically, a young girl of about 13-16 years was forced to get married to a 50-55 year old man, during his last years of survival the young bride was supposed to look after him and when just after few years of their wedding the groom[old husband] used to die, the young lady,or a young girl would be more appropriate to say, was burnt along with her deceased husband in order to show respect to him and to the filthy norms of our society. Sounds brutal, isn’t it? It was banned years ago because of its cruelty, but it’s still not completely over. I mean how sadistic can this society be? How can you burn a young girl when her husband dies? How can people be so rogue and mulish about this so-called ‘tradition’? Doesn’t she have her own life or is it her fault that her old, aged husband died?
These questions might have been asked by those crying eyes and shivering hands,which would have been pushed into the pyre. And the answers would have been very obvious, “A girl is meant to sacrifice and sacrificing your life for your husband is an honour”, “You inauspicious burdener! You deserve to die. When our son is dead, you don’t deserve to live either”. What would those tearing eyes and helpless beings feel when they would hear such merciless words? They would have definitely accepted that pyre wholeheartedly because death would have seemed to be more gratifying than living in a society where you are not valued, not counted for existence and not even considered a part of the society you live in! Some even would have stood up against this unjust and unreasonable ‘pratha’. They would have spoken what was unsaid during those years. But what would have happened? What can actually happen? They would have been overpowered by our regressive, obstinate and unkind male dominating society, would have been tortured for standing against a pratha generated by the elderly or for the worst, would have been burnt! Actually it wouldn’t have been worst for them. Burning femininity would have become a casual action for them at that point. Right? Filthy, grimy and ruthless traditions! Bride burning tradition has taken its new forms in this 21st century. From burning a bride because of dowry or burning her because her male counterpart loves someone else or even because she couldn’t give a ‘male’ child to the family, all this convinces people enough to burn femininity in this society.
To all those cold-blooded and callous people out there, YOU NEVER BURN A FEMININE BEING ALONE, YOU BURN YOUR GOOD KARMA ALONG WITH HER! Because as it is always said, that what you give to a person, it comes back to you ten times folded. Someday, someone will teach you the lessons which went unlearnt. Be prepared!
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About the Author: This article is contributed by Atima Dhall, our intern. Atima is an under-graduate from Shyama Prasad Mukherjee college, Delhi University. She aims to conquer the world with her writing and sights at instigating people to differentiate between black and white,i.e. justice and bigotry. With immense optimism and buoyancy, she scrutinizes her society and intends to work for its betterment through her writing.
