"SATI" - PLAYING WITH FIRE

"SATI" -  PLAYING WITH FIRE

                                                                             Image of funeral pyre

The practice of   "SATI"  was prevalent in the pre-Independence India.  However, in the 20th Century only isolated cases of  "SATI" were reported in India.

If her husband is dead then the widow is forced to jump into his funeral pyre and end her life.  Many social reformers like Rajaram Mohan Roy in the year 1812 played a vital role to stop the practice of "SATI" in India.  The Indian government has promulgated Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987  criminalising the aiding or glorifying  the practice of "SATI".

This barbaric practice has taken the life of many Hindu wives in India. 

One of the famous person who jumped into her husband's funeral pyre was Rani Padmavati, the queen of Chittor.  The most beautiful queen met with the tragedy of the practice of "SATI". Some brave woman voluntarily offered to end her life once her husband is dead considering it as a sacred ritual.

                                                       Screen image of Queen Padmavati

Rani Padmavati was born in Sri Lanka.  The princess was a most beautiful goddess like girl.  Marwar Rajput Prince Rawal Rattan Sen of Chittor Fort heard about her beauty and the multiskilled princess and started developing an obsession for her.  The prince Rawal Rattan Sen through an adventurous duel won her hand in marriage and brought her to Chittor, in Northern India.

  

We know more about Rani Padmavati from the epic poem of  Padmavat written by 16th century poet Malik Muhammed Jayasi.

The prince Rawal Rattan Sen was directed the way to reach Sri Lanka by the talking Hiraman parrot Ginni.  Ginni was the pet of princess Padmavati.  Ginni realizing threat to her life fled from Singhaldweep and reached Mewar where she stumbled upon Mewar prince Rawal Rattan Sen.

The parrot narrates the story of Padmavati to him. The parrot lavishly praised the princess Padmavati.  Ginni was the friend, philosopher, guide to the Mewar prince.  Ginni plays a vital link between Padmavati and  Rawal Rattan Sen and their union in marriage.

The beautiful, swashbuckling princess had mastery in warfare.  She was born to the king Gandharvasena and his queen Champavati of Singhaldweep.  Singhaldweep is an island with turquoise bay and precious ocean's wealth.  A scenic beauty under the sun with a splendid landscape.

Padmavati was trained to use weapons, warfare, horse riding, elephant battles  and statecraft as well as classes in studying the ancient Vedas, painting , sculpture and literary arts.

The Rawal Rattan Sen was impressed by the story of Padmavati and wanted to possess her and set off to Singhaldweep along  with his friend Raghav Chetna,  who was an artist and courtier at Chittorgarh.

The duo reached Gandharvasena's palace and participated in a competition to win the princess in marriage.

After reaching Mewar they started leading a blissful matrimony.

However, in a war Rawal Rattan Sen was killed and Rani Padmavati becomes a widow.  The widowed Rani Padmavati entered her husband's funeral pyre and sat on the burning wood and got killed in the fire.

The widow remarriage was never allowed by the Chieftains and a young widow was forced to end her life engulfed in fire.

The writer stands for women emancipation, education of girl child and the widow remarriage.

I am not a male chauvinist and believe in equality to women.  The woman has to be respected. The mother, wife, sister and daughter all deserve a better treatment in the society and encourage her to show the world her talent and skills.  She has to be not only a home maker but has to work towards in getting challenging roles like man.

WIDOW REMARRIAGE 

                                                              An image of a Namboodiri Brahmin girl 

                                                                        An image of a Widow

The premature death of  her husband will make her a widow.  She relinquishes her jewelry and colorful clothes and wear white clothes in her remaining life.  A widow is never considered for remarriage.  A widow is eligible for her husband's wealth only if she continues to be his widow. There are many such hurdles that preventing a widow to accept remarriage.

 

While on the subject,  I would like to present the story of Unnimaya, a 17 year old Namboodiri Brahman girl who faced excommunication by Orthodox Brahman society.  Unnimaya was married to an old Namboodiri Brahman in his sixties (his fourth marriage).  Unnimaya was from a progressive family and finds it difficult to adjust with her new orthodox household.  The husband dies after three months of their wedding without consummating the marriage.  She was secluded from the world and lived in isolation.  Subsequently, she falls in love with a Kathakali artist and spend time with him.  She soon realized that she is pregnant. The artist did not come to her rescue and save her from the shame due to her pregnancy.   After turned down by her lover and his cowardice act, Unnimaya decides to face the inquiry (smarthavicharam) by the furious Brahman priest and other older Namboodiris.  She responded to their questions putting up a brave front which further invites the wrath of  her community.  They excommunicated (Brashtu/Outcast) and banished her.  The only savior was her late husband's elder son from his first marriage, who was a rebel and progressive-minded and wanted to eradicate age old stringent and rigid customs prevailing amongst Namboodiri Brahmins.  Ousted from the house she finds shelter in her savior's home.  By the time the artist shows up to own up her pregnancy and accept her.  Unnimaya shown him the door declaring that her conceived baby's father is only the Kathakali characters in his dance performances and not him meaning that she only loved him for his dance.

The story's plot has courtesy to a 1994 Malayalam film "Parinayam" (Wedding).

 

Smarthavicharam was the ritualistic trial of Antharjanams (Namboodiri women)  who is accused of having extra marital affairs.

 

In olden times, in Namboodiri household, only the eldest Namboodiri could marry.  He could marry as many Naboodiri women as he wanted.  The others could only have formal "Sambandham" or affairs with Nair women.  This left many Namboodiri women in unsatisfactory marriages where they received little or no attention at all and as a result many remained as spinsters.

An Antharjanam's life was a miserable one.  They were not allowed to step outside the house.  Even if they did it was to go to the temple that too escorted by Nair women.  The Antarjanams appeared wrapped in cloth head to toe and with an Olakkuda (Palm leaf umbrella) to cover their faces. They were not to be seen by anyone.  The meaning of the word Antharjanam itself is "beings inside the house".

Living in such oppression and married to a Namboodiri much older than them, some of these women went on to have illicit affairs.  If an Antharjanam was suspected to have affair, the consequences were gruesome.  They were excommunicated and considered as an  outcast (Brashtu).  

 

The Antharjanams  lead a dual identity of affluence and constraint.  This duality of Antharjanams  were  present in the rich and aristocratic Namboodiri families.

 

 

 

Of late a ruling King has abolished the Smarthavicharam in which the Antharjanam's were court-martialed.

Present days Namboodiri women are much liberated and to be seen in India's prestigious  educational  institutions like IITs and IIMs and working in Corporate companies.  Some of them even studying abroad and employed there.  Finally, they are getting a bigger slice of the pie as their male counter parts.

The prominent writers from the present day Namboodiri community are  Madampu Sankaran Namboodiri popularly known as Madambu Kunjukuttan and Lalitambika Antharjanam. 

There are many incidences of women facing cruel social justice in India and it needs to be corrected and offer better life for them.  There must be justice for women in distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges in a society.

A widow must be allowed to remarry and lead a new chapter in rest of her life avoiding the stigma attached.

 

 

 

The writer stands for social and political emancipation of women.