I hope this link works. The above story is about a ritual in Islamabad in which families take their daughters, render them unconcious, and then burry them alive in order to help worship two dieties.
Now, at first, it sounds horriffic. I mean, these girls are on average, about four years old, I believe it says, and their parents willingly bury them alive. Of course, it’s for a minute, and the article says nothing about what the mortality rate for such an event is, so as far as I can tell, they all lived, which suddenly makes it seem not so bad. But still, when you hear that the children are “burned alive to make them unconcious and then buried alive,” it kinda creeps me out. And if the kid doesn’t fall asleep, the parents are charged for it?
I admit there are a lot of rituals out there that seem very extreme to my American mind, but this just seems a little too severe. How is it in today’s day and age, rituals like this still go on? Does anyone know any more about this ritual to help set up the fact that really, there’s no danger to the children, or is this really as bad as it seems?
I’m not sure how I see how sprinkling ashes on a kids head, and then turmeric water (turmeric is a spice) is going to either burn a kid, or render it unconscious.
The dateline reads Islamabad, but thestory indicates that the incident happened in Tamil Nadu state in India.
Eh–it’s no worse than full immersion baptism or having your penis cut. At least the kids aren’t being sacrificed, as I read still happens surreptitiously in Andean villages in South America. (Sorry, don’t have a cite)
A blatanlty anit-Indian article in an Islamabad based news-website talks about a horrendous ritual in Southern India; its backfires and people start thinking it takes place in Pakistan.
Seriously though, I lived around 50 miles from Madurai (the place where supposedly this took place). I am not surprised. Have you heard of female infanticide? The mehtods of female infanticide? I console myself with the thought that atleat the victims probably wont feel it.(too young to remember).
Poverty is a horrible thing. Add illiteracy to it; voila!!
A little knowledge about all this will horrify you. A study on it will change you. Hopefully for the better.
! i red tht artickle, i hav heard wurs! thers a secked in Iddaly and in states of AMErica that makes they children drinked blud. blud and ashes are putt on theyre heads and they eat pieces of a godd’s body. (REELLY!!!) Than the kidds are made to drowned.
Seriously, I’m feeling a bit nauseous from browsing the reader comments linked from that article. You picked the right forum for this, Red.
Bear in mind, Xenophon, that the comments are from native Urdu speakers who may not have the best command of English. Heck, I’ve read equally appalling posts from Americans on gaming sites.
It’s just anti-Hindu propaganda from the Pakistani press.
You’re right, gobear; I shouldn’t have made any issue of the language usage. However, it was the almost joyous expression of bigotry from the readers who bought in to the propoganda which made me queasy, rather than the lack of compositional competence displayed.
The caption on the picture is almost Onionish–the girl hardly looks like she is “begging for mercy”.
Puts me in mind of an Onion story about the deteriorating diplomatic relations between an Indian convenience store owner and the Pakistani owner of the in-store Subway over territorial disputes…
I’m thinking the same as Scylla - not a way to be rendered unconcious at all. But, if it’s even true, it’s a ritual. Some societies have some funky stuff for sure. Don’t you think that being raised in that society you deal with it all just fine - after all it’s what is expected of you. Look at the US - women pluck thier eyebrows and men wear ties! Ouch! But we still do it.
