Most of the Indian women are victims of various kinds of superstitions. It is hard to find an Indian woman who does not believe in God, the biggest superstition of mankind. She likes to visit temples of various (!) Gods and demand various worldly things before him. It includes not only money, health and wealth, but also very minor things like ‘May my husband return to home in time’.
Most of the Indian mothers teach their children to pray the God for passing school examinations. They tell their children not just to pray, but also to offer the God some material thing if he listens the prayer. This is nothing but a kin of bribe and I think that here are the roots of the corruption in India.
Most of the Indian women are superstitious because they feel unsecured in family life. Generally they are dependent on father before marriage, on husband after marriage and on sons in older age. In male dominant Indian society she is of no importance. Due to lack of self-confidence, they surrender themselves to the God(s) and superstitions.
But few women never surrender themselves to the God. They do not believe in superstitions. I am proud to say that my mother was one of such women.
I remember that my mother never told me to pray to the God or to go to the temple. She herself never did this. There was one exception when my sister got married and the couple had to visit the temple in our village. We all had to go to the temple, but my mother was not ready to go there. After requests and forcing, she went to the temple with us. But it was just an attendance of her; she was not involved in any rituals. She just rose up her hands for bow in front of the Teerthankar idol and then she just sat in the corner of the temple hall till we had to return home.
The roots of her atheism were in her family background. She was born in a Jain family. Her father was a Head Master of a Primary school in a village. In my childhood, I got an opportunity to live with him for 3 years. He was a multidimensional person, a rational thinker and an atheist.
Most of the children follow their parents. My mother followed her father. I followed my mother and maternal Grandfather. I became an atheist from my childhood. My atheism was boosted when I read the books on Jainism written by my Paternal Grandfather. Later, I learned rational thinking from my paternal uncle.
My mother was not a traditional Jain woman. She was a staunch vegetarian but she had not restricted herself from eating root vegetables and eating after sunset. She never involved herself in any type of rituals. She never showed an interest in meeting monks. But she never uttered a word, which will harm others.
Last year, my mother passed away. She died the way by which a Jain should die. Followers of Jainism when realize that it is the time to leave, they reduce eating of food day by day. At a point, they stop to eat. Eventually, they adopt death in peace. This is popularly known as sallekhanaa or santhara. Most of sallekhanaas are declared sallekhanas and performed as rituals, but in case of my mother, it was undeclared.
She always avoided medicines and strongly opposed injections. In her last days, the doctor had prescribed some tonics for her, which she never took. He used to check her health routinely, but didn’t find any type of disease. No diabetes, no blood pressure, no cataract. At the age of 71, her eyes were able to read newspaper without glasses. She was able to hear small noises and speak well.
She died just like one goes to sleep. Without shouting, without going in unconsciousness, without any fear. A very peaceful death one should like to have.
(First Published: 12 July 2010)
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