I APOLOGIZE

SHOTI-DAHO

By-Avijit Roy.

Shatidah (Sothi Daho) was one of the brutal culture of Hindu religion which is totally supported by Hindu religious scriptures (those scriptures are considered as the revelation of god). SHOTI DAHA refers to widow burning, though SOTI literally means virgin.

Just Imagine, you are a Hindu lady. You have born in this country in a British ruling period. You are married. You stay with your loving husband. He is very amiable, gentle and friendly in nature, even though there is a big age-difference between you and him. You say your prayer, perform your "puja-orchona" (worship and daily religious service), "topossha" (religious austerities), "debo-tushti" (reverence and devotion to god) - every ritual on a regular basis. Despite all of your effort and obedience towards god, one day with a great anxiety you noticed that he is not awaking from his bed, and after couple of hours you could realized, with your mournful eyes that he actually passed away.

Soon your neighbors came to know about the sad news. They begin to gather to your house. They give you condolence as much as they can - "Buro manush, boyosh hoyechilo...he had to go, you know; now you have to be strong. You have to take the responsibility for your kids". Yes, you also know that. You have two little kids - when they smile as if moon appears in the sky. You are trying to make yourself calm and composed just seeing their innocent face. When everything tends to becoming tranquil and sooth and you have also accepted your grievous fate, then "Gogon-Purohit" -the Brahmin clergy of the village came in the scene. Without any provocation he declared- "You have to mount on your husband's chita (funeral pyre) for cremation." At first you thought that he's joking; but stone-firm face of "Gogon Purohit" pulls you down to reality. The first thing struck to your mind an incident - last year one of your neighbor "Shotur Maa" died..... why... his husband need not have to be mounted on chita ??? Not only that his husband is alive now...after two months he married again.
But when your husband dies, you have to be mounted in chita ! Is it true that You have no right to live because you have born as a woman in a Hindu family? Sorry sister, I am sad to say - yes it is. This is our Hindu religion. If the Hindu man's wife dies, he is free to go and find another beautiful woman if he wants! But if the Hindu woman's husband dies, not only is she prohibited to remarry but she should be cremated along with her dead husband ( This is how the widow becomes "Soti", according to Hindu mythology).

Gogon Purohit recites....According to the Haria, the woman who follows her husband in death purifies three families - her father's, her mother's and her husband's. Purohit shaheb propagates the theory based in the Vedas that a woman who did not burn herself would never become free of being born as a woman again.

What a great culture our Hindu religion possesses! Do you want me to tell you more about this great culture ? Here it goes.....

This "great" culture started even before the birth of Jesus, and became extremely popular in 700 AD in Hindu society. The scene became really devastating at that time in North India, Kashmir and in Royal Hindu families. All queens, even mistresses tried to became a "Shati" by sacrificing their lives along with her dead husband. In Rajput family it became really epidemic. It is said that in 1620 one Rajput king died, and 700 "Shati"s were mounted in his Chita. Many widow did not have any wish to be mounted on chita but those Hindu religious fundamentalists cried out "SATI MATA Kl JAI" (Long live virgin mother) and pushed them into the chita to die along with their dead husbands. From statistics it is found that about 8135 "Shati"s were burned during the year 1815-1826 AD.

I must recall here the name of two Muslim emperors with honor -- HUMAYUN and AKBAR who tried to stop the cruel practice from the Hindu society, but in vein. Sometimes, it is a matter of great discomfort when the argument comes from a person who have born in different religion ! Those Hindu Pundits did not even bother to listen what those "Jobon" suggested.

Ram Mohon [1772-1733] at last started widow saving movement. In 1829, Lord Bentinck passed a law to make shatidaha illegal in Sub-continent. This was really historic event for the Hindus. All Hindus should be ever-grateful to these two person.

This is in short is Shoti Daha.

Dear Readers, do you think that Shatidaha is an ancient Hindu culture...now totally obsolete ? Nope. Even in the year of 1987...shatidaha was found in India ....The Times of India reported (14-9-87): Jaipur- In what appeared to be a revival of a centuries-old custom of "Sati", a young woman belonging to a warrior caste of Rajasthan climbed into the funeral pyre of her husband, police said yesterday. Eighteen-year old Roop Kanwar's husband, Mansingh, had died in a hospital in Kikar district on Friday, His body was later taken to his home village at Diwrala for cremation. Roop Kanwar sat on the funeral pyre while it was lit by one of Mansingh ' s relatives. Hundreds of villagers who knew of her "Sati" well in advance gathered at the spot shouting slogans in praise of the burning widow. Police, who claimed to have received the information late, registered a case against four close relatives of Mansingh for having "HELPED" Roop Kanwar commit "Sati". Roop Kanwar's husband, Mansingh took more than Rs. 100,000 worth of dowry in the form of money, 25 tola of gold, a TV, a radio and a refrigerator. Though Mansingh had demanded dowry worth of 200,000 rupees, her father had success- fully negotiated and reduced the amount to Rs. 100,000/=. So far in the same village more than 23 dowry killings have occurred in the last 3 years as recompense for not bringing the promised dowry in time.

The paper continues that the most revealing statement came from Mr. Cheeta Singh, a village teacher who said: "After all, she had no life to took forward to. As a widow, remarriage was out of the question in the Hindu tradition bound community".

The teacher continues: "The society treats a widow as a "kulachani" (an evil omen) and a economic liability. She has to remain barefoot, sleep on the floor and is not allowed to venture out of the house. She is slandered if seen talking to any male. It was better that she died, than live such a life " he said.

Do you still feel proud for being a Hindu-lady ???

==========================================================