We are a part of such society in which the sole source of our
thoughts and behavior is religion. In its connotative traits religion
constructs two world views:
Transcendental and transient. In its epistemic form it adopts a metaphysical methodology
rather than a dialectical one. A world outlook, in which one dreams of ‘heaven
and hell’, social cruelty and oppression get consent in the name of values. Ceremonial
killing of widows in the name of ‘Sati’, is its ultimate example. Vehement
defenders of Sati offer spiritual cake with a frosting of eternal virtue. Quintessentially,
it promotes anti-people values. By this rhetorical jargon not only they
legitimatize crime against women, but also portray it as a value and an ideal.
Woman, for example, is an idol of sacrifice, love, penance etc. Commemoration of Sati in the name of eternal status and liberty, glorifying the social disgrace of woman becomes the mechanism for perpetuating the social killing of women.
Sativarta, chunri mahotsav, sakti sthal terms reflect terms of disguise for cruelty towards a widow. Agni purana declares that:
The woman who commits ‘Sahagamana’ (joint departure) goes
to heaven. Hindu mythology reiterates that those who died with the love of
their life were united with the man in heaven in an eternal nuptial bond.
The inhabitants, who do not
admit witnessing Sati and attribute their account to others, give graphic
descriptions of the events leading up to the act. The girl, they say, acquired
Sat - a supernatural power which is akin to a trance-like state where the
woman's body burns to the touch and her eyes redden and glow. No one dared
dissuade her in the fear of being cursed by Sati Mata. Roop Kanwar, they say,
had only raised her hands and pyre itself was set ablaze. About 4,000 to 5,000
people watched the event. “A lot of gulal was thrown in the air blessing the crowd
assembled there and chanting the gayatri mantra, Rajput youth carrying rusty
swords shouted slogans like “Ek do teen char, Roop Kanwar Ki Jai Jaikar”, “Jab
Tak Suraj Chand Rahega, Roop Kanwar Ka Naam Rahega”, “Sati Mata Ki Jai”, “Desh
Dharm Ka Nata Hai, Sati Hamari Mata Hai”. Both her parents said that it is only
‘by the grace of God’ that one becomes a Sati: Showering blessings on them. tenth
standard school girls reacted, “I won't become be a Sati. But my parents say only
a very good woman becomes Sati. Most families believe that if you stop such women
from becoming Sati, they can curse you.” The chief minister's statement was
even more ridiculous. He opined that “Roop Kanwar committed Sati voluntarily.” The
Rajput lobby emphasized that Sati was a voluntary act performed by woman who
possessed great courage and valour. They asked: “Roop Kanwar committed Sati
voluntarily, then why should her family be arrested?” This, for them, was interference
in their religious rites. But again we are afraid of the term ‘Voluntary’. A
society in which power relations between two sexes exists, comes subjugation, oppression,
suppression, torture, deprivation, etc. and sheer compulsion is portrayed as a
voluntary act. In the case of Roop Kanwar, an old widow woman reacted that
“Roop Kanwar was lucky enough to find the opportunity to perform suicide at the
time of her husband's death”. Slavery, loneliness and sexual harassment are
synonymous to the life of a widow. The condition of a widow is more dreadful
than that of a slave. Widows were always very stoic and they were forced to
lead a horrible life of torture, disfigurement, tonsure and deprivation with an
enforced strict ban on their dreams. Self-immolation on her husband pyre must
have been more preferable rather than dying every day. The pathetic status of
widows shows that the treatment meted out to them is a major factor underlying
the Sati phenomena.
For a widow life was as good as over. Widows were expected to
sleep on the floor, avoid eating spicy food and eschew dressing in certain
colors. They had to be up before the other family members and sit away from
everybody at all functions. In the fear of losing self-esteem as a woman, fear
of evil eyes, the purveyors of ill-fortune, she would willingly embrace the
flames. She perhaps favoured death to humiliation; maybe it is the materialism
of spiritualism. Fearing social stigma, even if death by Sati was voluntary, it
was outrageous. Even if it is ultimately proved beyond doubt, it must be
remembered that she is a product of patriarchal society in which she grew up
and lived. History shows that the psychology of a human being is conditioned by
the social system. In a male dominated social structure, the status of women is
so low that there is very little room for women to exercise their ‘free will’.
The Khap- Panchayats practice absolute control over the choices and lives of
women. Under such control would Roop Kanwar or any other 18-year old girls like
her have been allowed to voluntarily choose their husbands or opt for re-marriage?
When seen in this context, the arguments put forward by defenders of this
practice of a ‘woman's will’ to commit Sati, stand exposed.
Rani sati temple in Jhunjhunu
There is a negative aspect of this phenomenon too.
Businessmen, religious and community leaders and the government, for their own
interests, project sati temples as tourist destinations. The grand fountain
head of sati is the temple built in memory of sati in Jhunjhunu district.
Throughout the year thousands of national and international tourists and
pilgrims come to visit this sati temple. In the case of Roop Kunwar, attempts
were made to collect funds for the construction of a temple at the site where
the incident took place. Though the practice of sati may be simply falling out
of vogue, yet the magnificence of the temple attracts visitors. The temple industry
thrives around the sati temple.
But the issue in 1987 came under spotlight when the infamous incident of Roop
Kanwar took place. The concept and practice of Sati emerged anew. “On October
4, 1987, a young educated woman Roop Kanwar was burnt alive on her husband's
funeral pyre in Deorala village in Sikar district. She had married Mala Singh,
24, a graduate and a sick person. Roop Kanwar spent most of her time with her
parents, in the eight months of her married life she spent barely 20 days with her
husband, few days immediately after marriage and a few before their deaths.
Dressed in bridal attire, Roop Kanwar walked at the head of the funeral procession
to the centre of the village and ascended the pyre. And placed her deceased husband's
head in her lap and her husband’s family members lit the funeral pyre. 400 villagers
watched, and not one had the gumption to protest, not a single police man
appeared in the vicinity.”25 After her death she was hailed as ‘Sati mata’
which translates as ‘pure mother’ and a shrine was set-up on the site of her
immolation. Most of the inhabitants opined that Roop Kanwar's death was “A
voluntary act of heroic courage” which had turned her into a goddess. But there
is also another side to the mirror. According to the poorer inhabitants of the village,
many of whom did not dare speak openly for fear of offending the murdered
woman's well to do father-in-law, she had screamed and begged for help as the
flames consumed her.
“The girl was swaying from side to side as she came out of the house and walked
to the cremation ground. She was surrounded by Rajput youths till theend.”
Another boy who claimed to have watched the entire incident said: Roop was
frothing at the mouth. Eyewitnesses questioned by the police said they heard her
shout ‘Bachao’. She cried for help and struggled to get out but the coconuts and
the heavy logs of firewood buried her. Because of the gulal in the air and crowds
craning to get a glimpse, they could not see the pyre. Roop's parents were not
informed, given the proximity of Deorala and Jaipur. Interestingly, at a meeting
of “the Dharam Rakha Samiti in Deorala, leading members of the Rajput community,
BJP leaders expressed again and again their determination to go ahead with
plans to build a temple at the site. “Any disruption in our plans to build a
temple will be an insult to the Hindu religion. Roop Kanwar was a woman of
extraordinary powers and a goddess. Deorala is no longer a village. It has become
a devgava (village of goddess).” They advocated that every village should have
a Sati temple to commensurate it. The government cannot afford to antagonize
the Rajputs.
One of the most disturbing fall-outs of the incident was the revival of Sati as
an honourable tradition by very strong vocal segments of the Rajput community, led
by prominent religious and political leaders. Every year Rajput's households perform
the Roop Kanwar Sati puja according to Hindu calendar on Gyaras.
