The very word Sati Pratha gives jitters . A feeling , a weird anxiety as how can a living being force herself in self immolation or commit suicide for no fault of hers.
Centuries have rolled by and the stable manifestations are witness to the most heinous trait or religion or sect that forced a living woman to self immolate on the pyre of her dead husband.
Who made this law or rule where such a naked salsa of Male Chauvinism was so lawfully displayed and followed in many parts of the world.
From the times in BC the SATI was followed in this part of the world including evidences from China, Indonesia and OUR sultanate of course.
All the legally married wives including the concubines killed themselves by sitting on the burning pyre or later by some other means as if their body and life was the personal commodity of the MCP monarch who used them for sex and children.
Some explanations are found in history that try to justify the PRATHA by giving a logic. The logic that the widow or widows were afraid to be molested, tortured and slaved by the invaders, particularly the Moghul invaders.
Similarly came into being the PRATHA of JOHAR.
Where a mass of married women jumped together in the massive pyre of death as their husbands were sacrificing themselves in the battlefield.
All afraid of the aftermath and molestation.
Was there a single philanthropic soul who tried to understand the agony of a young girl who had not seen life and had to torch her youth, fibre to fibre.
Hats off to the all time crusader and greatest human being RAJA RAM MOHAN ROY who strongly put his foot down and abolished this PRATHA in 1829 with the strong support by the English.
Moghuls also tried earliear to stop the PRATHA. Humayun put the first efforts that were elaborated by Akbar and Aurangzeb almost ended it.
I don’t care for the present controversial statements by some media hungry squanderes of society who choose to abuse these great philanthropists and social reformers. No comments on why these third graded, once so called celebrities wagging their tongue.
But,
I have a different angle and perception which I call the MODERN SATI PRATHA.
Has the sati actually stopped in the modern times. It is not the question of burning the living over the dead.
It is the question of ostrasizing the poor widow in the society and even in the sasural where she is forced to continue living.
A widow becomes a social commodity and every male seeks for a probable possibility. How many widows derive or get that respect and dignity, specially in the ignorant and rural class.
Several examples can be quoted where the living male members of the family have tried and have been successful in trespassing the dignity of the young widow in their family. No one has an intention to support or glorify the widow. The purpose is to satisfy the carnal need by easily available treasure living in the other room, with no male support or protection.
Remarriage for a widow is again a far fetched thing. Even in our educated class very few examples exist where remarriage has actually rehabilitated a widow.
The times may have improved slightly in the educated metropolitan society where Women Empowerment is a ornate fashion and need of the hour.
But I can vouch and emphatically say that things are still in the medieval state where widows are shaved, follow stipulated dress code and are looked down if they even try to develop a male alliance.
I call it modern Sati.
Wish there is Raja Ram Mohan Roy in all living males who make all efforts to empower the sufferer by strongly encouraging remarriage, rehabilitation by providing appropriate vocation and education. Try to erase psychologically the mental trauma the poor female had undergone by assurance and affection.
If we don’t learn from this and don’t change our mind set then we are actually keeping alive the tradition of SATI.
Mind you, this sati is worse than the Sati where life ends. Here we are burning the woman everyday cell by cell till her soul is torched out completely.
Agreed that a woman is bestowed by the gene to tolerate and behold the adversities of life, but not to be exploited and ill-treated.
धरती की तरह हर दुख सह ले, सूरज की तरह तू जलती जा,
सिंदूर की लाज बचाने को, चुप चाप तू आग पे चलती जा……
This is hyperbolic now.
