Why I Think Padmavati's 'Jauhar' Was No Worse Than Euthanasia
The whole controversy around the movie 'Padmavati' has sparked a variety of debates in this 'secular' nation.
While some of the opinions are acceptable and are valid, many of them are mere bogus allegations. Amidst all this chaos, a word that has surfaced is - Jauhar.
What is 'Jauhar ' ? Tracing its roots from the Arabic translation of the Persian word, 'Jivhar', meaning jewel or merit, it is the practice of mass self-immolation by women to avoid capture, enslavement and rape by any foreign invaders, when facing certain defeat during a war.
Jauhar was common among Rajput women and the Rajput community considers it as an act of valour and takes pride in it.
But the Pandora's box of opinions has something else to offer. One amongst many of these questioned the practice of Rajput queens to commit 'Jauhar '.
They are asserting that choosing death over life is not an option and life is all about struggle. But, what struggle are these pseudo-liberals talking about?
Getting enslaved and sexually assaulted at mere will of a suitor is not a life worth struggling for, is it? It is nothing but pure suffering and pain that a woman has to endure.
'Unbearable' suffering and pain - isn't this the criteria for granting a person permission for Euthanasia?
Also referred to as 'mercy killing' or 'assisted suicide', Euthanasia is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease.
Voluntary Euthanasia is a type of Euthanasia that is conducted with the consent of the patient and is a main component of the 'Right to Die', which is legal in some parts of the world.
Many of the activists are striving to implement this right in India but the Supreme Court has upheld the sanctity of Section 309 IPC which provides for the punishment against attempted suicide.
So, the double standards are quite evident. On one hand, you are mocking the practice of 'Jauhar' and on the other hand, you are supporting 'Euthanasia' when both of these are clearly performed with the same motive of ending 'physical suffering' for which there may not be any cure.
Euthanasia is a process through which a person is given a humane and a dignified death and this is what 'Jauhar' was all about - A dignified death!
At last, what I feel and observe these days is an increasing trend and urge among the people to oppose laws - whether stated in the Constitution or in the ancient scriptures.
Now, whether this inclination will lead to a progressive society or will diminish moral values and principles on which this very Indian society thrives - is a thing to watch for in the coming future.
You have MISSED THE REALPOINT... Jauhar & euthanasia ARE NOT EVEN REMOTELY SIMILAR. They can be considered similar if you consider the rose & cauliflower to be alike... I will focus on JAUHAR...where did you get the ARABIC ROOT of the word? There is NO CONCEPT ofJauhar in islamic, christian, communities.In fact...the women of Punjab, who, during the partition, chose to die VERY PAINFUL DEATHS to avoid beng hunted & caught by muslims tocan be considered as committing something like Jauhar. In Rajasthaan, it was NOT ONLY THE queens who committed jauhar...THEY LED THE WOMEN ...all women did... Jauhar is primarily commtted by BURNING ALIVE. IT MUST BE SELF IMMOLATION, & is performed with the observation of the LAST RITES.It is NOT just the women defending their honor... It is MORE THAN THAT... that's why all the INVADERS who exercised the practice of taking women as SEX SLAVES, worked to abolish it... The act of burning themselves alive en masse was a slap in the face of these "victorious invaders" by the women... communicating that THEY FOUND THE PAIN OF BURNING ALIVE & the ugliness it would result in if the woman survived BETTER THAN being with the captor.And the invaders found that to be a bigger defeat... as the women were abig part of the loot. They worked toabolish it to facilitate the women being taken captive alive... they used this to DENY THE WOMEN THE RIGHT TO SAVE THEMSELVES FROM BEING RAPED.
ReplyDelete