Mrityu-Bhoj : A Social Extortion

She came after 2 months. Her eyes were numb and her aura was so gloomy that whole atmosphere of room was saddened by her presence. She sat on chair, I was finding myself self so uncomfortable to talk with her. After few minutes somehow I asked her “Tabiyat kesi chal rhi hai”. She didn't reply. After silence of few moments I asked her again “ab kese ho” “kya hua!!” and then she replied in broken voice with tears coming out of her eyes…”hum jeso ka kuch nai hota Gaurav”.

Her husband died from kidney failure two months back. A man who have done nothing other than drinking, beating her or making her life miserable in any possible way he could. At the age of 67 she used to work in many homes for her livelihood. Still her sadness was obvious as he was part of her life for more than 50years.

Inside my heart I was not sad for her lost but what annoyed me was the pain in her statement “hum jeso ka kuch nai hota”. I have seen her struggling financially but never saw her that much frustrated from her poverty. She was crying from her heart and blaming her fate for everything.

“1.5 lakh ka kharcha ho gya hai”

“80 sal ke the 12 din ka kaaraz to krna padta hai”

“12 din chai pani chale hai”

“Bahrve Ko 700 log khane aaye the samaz ke, dal roti bhi karo to 1 lakh lag jate hai”

“Log khane se jyada dekhne aate hai, ki ye kya karegi”

“Udhar Liya hai 2 ki mitti se, chukaungi”

A person who earn around 10000 Rupees a month, after paying rent, food, electricity bills, medical bills, it looks more than 80 to 100 months to save 1 lac rupees. If you are paying interest in that situation, then God knows.

She was extorted by rituals of our society...She was extorted by rituals….She was extorted by those 700 people. A man who was fed by her when he was alive, now will feed on her after life.

To whom we can blame, supreme court banned these kind of practice years ago but what is reality at ground level ? Now few points we must take in notice-:

[if !supportLists]● [endif]It's a problem of small cities, towns or villages where 70% of Indian population lives. It's a huge number.

[if !supportLists]● [endif]Middle class and upper middle class people promote this practice as they do have money and resources, they do it like a necessary practice which is must. So because they are doing it, knowingly or unknowingly they force labour and poor class to follow.

[if !supportLists]● [endif]Our spiritual books haven't mentioned such kind of culprit practice, yet our pandit and pujari perform it with mantra tantra for their personal benefits.

[if !supportLists]● [endif]Our intellectual people of society protect this ritual with statement “ jisse Khushi milti ho vo man se kare, jo nai kar Sakta ho na kare” what kind of justification this is ?

[if !supportLists]● [endif]Our youth and educated class people perform this practice as a holy duty as they know nothing about religion and rituals. Neither they want to know what is wrong or right.

[if !supportLists]● [endif]Our government is busy to decide weather to release movie or not, our media is busy debating weather to sing Vande Mataram or not, our NGOs are busy converting white in to black or vice versa, our youth is busy with social media.

Social reforms always take a lot of time. If we start acting now with a single rule “Na khaunga, Na khilaunga”. Follow this rule no matter how rich you are, no matter how society going to take on you, no matter how disgrace you have to face. Even if you afraid of terms like “atma ki Shanti” let the deceased one travel through hell. The day human being start thinking logically “the heaven will collapse”.

Remember if you are doing it just because you can afford it then you must feel sorry for that helpless poor person who can't but who will just because you did.