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SOCIETY
Delhi gears up for 14,000 marriages on Nov 28
New
Delhi: The Indian capital seems to be fully gearing
itself up to witness 14,000 marriages on November
28, considered to be the most auspiscious day of this
year. Not only are the families busy with the hustle
and bustle of wedding arrangements, but also the metro's
traffic police department has announced special commuter
rules to be followed on this blue moon day to ensure
safe travel. "I would like to say that those who are
going for attending these marriages should be responsible
enough. They should park their cars only in the respective
parking areas and not on the roadside. They should
have patience, observe specific lanes and stick to
the directions of traffic police. They should not
cause any problems for other commuters and anyone
who is breaking the rules we will impose challans
on them and will also tow away the vehicles," said
Qamar Ahmed, Joint Commissioner of Police, Traffic.
As
many as 28,000 people will be tying the knot on November
28. Delhi believes in partying hard and marriages
provide a perfect occasion for doing so. In addition,
it is perfect way to prove that you have arrived in
life by organising a high-octane wedding. It is one
big family bash a time to part and party hard. Money
is not an issue for a Zara hat ke wedding. Delhi believes
in the saying if you have it, flaunt it. And it certainly
has the purchasing power to do so. All those related
to the wedding industry are vying for attention in
their bid to grab a share of the pie, be it the caterer,
the florist, the jewellers, the marriage venues, the
trosseau designers etc. THE Indian `wedding industry'
is currently valued at Rs.50,000 crore and is growing
at 25 per cent annually. North India is stated to
be the biggest market for the wedding industry followed
by Mumbai and Kolkata.
-Nov
26, 2004
Hindu
widows seek salvation in Puri
Puri
(Orissa): Hindu widows are thronging the temple
town of Puri to take the blessing of Lord Jagannath,
the presiding diety. This year, about 20,000 widows
have arrived at Puri with the aim of attaining salvation.
According to tradition, when a Brahmin woman becomes
a widow, she has to visit Puri during the month of
Kartik and stay here for the entire month. It is believed
that when a Brahmin woman loses her husband, she has
nothing left with her so she should call upon the
Lord for "Mukti" or salvation. All the widows are
expected to observe fasts. Their daily routine includes
getting up early and performing rituals and prayers.
Food is only consumed once a day before sunset. "We
are Brahmins, so we have to obey the tradition. We
have a tradition that when a woman becomes a widow,
it is compulsory for her to have food only once a
day during the month of Kartika and that too pure
vegetarian food. Here we are staying in a "matt".
We get up early in the morning and go for "Darshan".
Then we sing bhajans," says Laxmi Priya Mohapatra,
a widow, who has been coming to Puri for the last
three years. "We have come to observe fast. When we
lost our husband, we lost everything. So, we take
refuge in Lord Jagannath," says Chitrangda Pani, another
widow. According to Mahant Badrinath Das, a priest,
not just brahmins, but widows from other castes too
come to Puri too attain salvation. Those widows who
cannot visit Puri due to financial reasons, observe
the fast and other rituals at their homes for the
entire month.
-Nov
26, 2004
Cured
but abandoned, mental patients wait to go home
Thiruvananthapuram:
Fifty-year-old Anjali dresses up everyday and sits
for hours at the visitor's room awaiting for her son
and husband to turn up someday and take her home.
She is amongst the hundreds others abandoned by their
families, but waiting in vain to be reclaimed, yearning
for a life with their parents, children, brothers
and sisters, loved ones they left behind when coming
to the asylum in Thiruvananthapuram. These women and
men though completely cured are victims of social
stigma as poor awareness about mental diseases, and
in many cases poverty in rural sectors has led to
them being perceived as burdens and a possible threat
to others. Most of them were brought to the Center
as homeless vagabonds, picked up from the streets
by the police or by relatives who left behind wrong
addresses and have not showed up ever since. In many
a case, particularly with women, the parents were
dead and the brothers not keen on taking the burden
of their sick sister's treatment. But, despite the
intense trauma of rejection and abandonment, few have
given up hope and still feel they will have visitors.
"Back home I have a husband and seven children, four
sons and three daughter. Yes I want to go home, where
else will go? I could go by myself as well but they
don't let me go," said Anjali. Authorities agree that
the problem is big as it's not the medical and physical
needs but loneliness and the yearning for home that
has been the real setback in the recovery of these
people. K. Ramamoorthy, state's principal health secretary,
said they were coming up with new schemes to encourage
people to spend time with the asylum inmates, a step
he feels would go a long way in dispelling superstitions
and fears allowing families to reunite. "We have a
problem on hand. The only way out is to have a half-
way home well within the campus which we are trying
to set up. Already there are half-way homes where
bystanders or relative can come and live with the
patients for some time till they feel they are fit
enough to go home," he said. Meanwhile the 250 inmates
here have formed their own peer groups and spend their
time gardening, stitching and in other vocational
trade.
-Nov
4, 2004
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