Lucknow: Maya Mukti Upadhyay, 42, an Allahabad widow with no children performed the last rites of her father-in-law Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, 95, as per his last wish in what priests say is the first such act by a daughter-in-law in Uttar Pradesh. Maya had continued living with her father-in-law, a clerk in the auditor-general’s office, after her husband Suresh’s death in 1987.
Guwahati: June Marmu, the adopted daughter of slain Food Corporation of India chief P.C. Ram, was named a suspect in his murder in captivity of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). June, in her early 20s, is an Adivasi girl from Baksa district and used to stay with Ram in his rented Guwahati apartment. Ram went missing on April 17 and was found dead last week.
It is plain emotional intelligence at play. The emotional models adopted by each of the actors in the news bits is reflected by their action. This is a call for reformists and free society(??) activists to look into age-old wisdom of Indian culture. A women has all the rights to do all the kriyas(poorva/apara), but since she may feel weak during her mensural periods, she is advised not do. Otherwise, it is MCPs who declared women are not fit for rituals.
Maya Mukti Upaqdhayaya is absolutely right in performing the last rites of her father- in -law. It is all a matter of faith. No body knows whether the dead would reach the heavenly abode with the help of last rituals or not . But one thing is certain , society in general considers last rites , a must for Mukti of the deceased and a sacred duty of the offspring. In the absence of a son , son–in –law can perform the last rites. In this case widowed daughter- in -law , is the only survivor in the family . As for the breaking of tradition we need not lament. All the obsolete traditions and blind beliefs are to be broken with timely actions in tune with the changing world. It is a shot in the arm for the women empowerment movement. It is to be noted that in Pune, most popular traditiona Hindu bastion , women priests have taken up the challenge of performing all the religious rituals. The gates of heaven will not be closed if woman performs the last rites. It is a telling blow to the traditional society which flaunts gender bias as its virtue.
The second episode is not at all a case of breaking the heart , it is a case of breaking the head. It is the out come of extreme emotional out burst of a young woman. It also reveals to what extent a women can go under trying circumstances. An adopted daughter killing the old father may have many dimensions . But one thing is certain , you can not say frailty thy name is woman any more