06-25-2006, 09:22 PM
<b>Another male bastion falls</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->ANAND/AHMEDABAD: When Riddhi Vora's mother died last month, she did not think twice before performing the last rites.
Many eyebrows were raised in the conservative place that Bhuj is, but Riddhi, a teacher and the eldest of two daughters, says, "Our parents brought us up without any discrimination. I believe it's our duty to perform all rituals, irrespective of gender."
<b>Riddhi even accepted the 'Janoi' (sacred thread) for a ritual known as 'Varshi'. Female foeticide may be rampant in some parts of Gujarat, but the last decade has seen instances of daughters taking over customs that have traditionally been only the male child's privilege, like performing the last rites of their parents.
Jitendra Vora, a priest, sees this as a healthy change. "In one case, a daughter performed funeral rites despite having three brothers,"he says.</b>
Like many parents, Mangla Patel, 65, wanted a male child after having three daughters. But she has no regrets today of not having had one - her daughter Neeta completed all the rituals when her father passed away four years ago.
"Initially, some relatives objected, but elders consented,"says Neeta, an advocate from Petlad. BK Kanabar, a businessman from Talala of Saurashtra, may have spent years wishing for a male child.
But when he died in January, his daughters - Sejal, Hetal, Hemal, Dipti, and Poonam - did not let him down and became his pall-bearers.
"I was supposed to carry out his final rites but when my cousins expressed the desire to perform the rituals, we promptly agreed. In fact, the entire town lauded their love for their father,"Kanabar's nephew Mahesh said.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Many eyebrows were raised in the conservative place that Bhuj is, but Riddhi, a teacher and the eldest of two daughters, says, "Our parents brought us up without any discrimination. I believe it's our duty to perform all rituals, irrespective of gender."
<b>Riddhi even accepted the 'Janoi' (sacred thread) for a ritual known as 'Varshi'. Female foeticide may be rampant in some parts of Gujarat, but the last decade has seen instances of daughters taking over customs that have traditionally been only the male child's privilege, like performing the last rites of their parents.
Jitendra Vora, a priest, sees this as a healthy change. "In one case, a daughter performed funeral rites despite having three brothers,"he says.</b>
Like many parents, Mangla Patel, 65, wanted a male child after having three daughters. But she has no regrets today of not having had one - her daughter Neeta completed all the rituals when her father passed away four years ago.
"Initially, some relatives objected, but elders consented,"says Neeta, an advocate from Petlad. BK Kanabar, a businessman from Talala of Saurashtra, may have spent years wishing for a male child.
But when he died in January, his daughters - Sejal, Hetal, Hemal, Dipti, and Poonam - did not let him down and became his pall-bearers.
"I was supposed to carry out his final rites but when my cousins expressed the desire to perform the rituals, we promptly agreed. In fact, the entire town lauded their love for their father,"Kanabar's nephew Mahesh said.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->