SOCIETY

Deorala steps ahead to erase the Sati stigma

     Deorala (Raj): Deorala is the village that made headlines 20 years ago when Roop Kanwar performed Sati. And today it presents a different picture. Girls go to school in uniforms. Sati practised by Hindus, where a widow was placed on her husband's funeral pyre, was banned during British rule, after Brahmo Samaj founder, Raja Rammohan Roy, led a campaign against the evil practice and urged British rulers to make it illegal. In 1829, Sati was made illegal through an act, but it shot into prominence in 1987 with Kanwar performing the act in front of thousands of villagers in Rajasthan. Her death sparked a national outrage, and forced the government to ban the glorification of Sati, making the offence punishable with a maximum sentence of seven years imprisonment and a fine of up to 30,000 rupees. Today, reformed Deorala, is spreading awareness against the practice through the education of its daughters. The village has four secondary level schools, which over 600 girls attend. Armed with a broadened worldview, the girls are determined to fight the age-old tradition. "I want to educate students about Sati and tell them it is not good. I will take them towards growth," said Dheeraj Shekhawat, a student. Village elders and teachers believe that enlightenment through education would finally wipe out such practices . "The girls are well aware and so educated that they don't even think about Sati," said Gyanendra Shrama, a school teacher. Roop Kanwar's father-in-law, Sumer Singh, has also joined the girls education campaign. "I feel bad about what has happened and even today I do not want such incidents to happen," said Sumer. The Centre is now mulling over plans to tighten laws against the practice. These include holding entire communities responsible and life imprisonment. .
-Sept 15, 2007    

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