The incident of a father killing his daughter on the eve of her wedding, happened on 17 Mar. It took place near Areakode in Malappuram district. The fact that I was at that place exactly a month before - in the course of the yatra - evokes an intense sadness deep within me!
Here are the salient points of the case:-
(a) Athira, all of 21 years, was working as a lab assistant at the Manjeri Medical College and
Hospital. She's from the Ezhava community.
(b) She fell in love with Brijesh, a young army man, belonging to the Dalit community(SC/ST).
(c) Their love had blossomed when his mother was taken for treatment at the hospital.
(d) Both the families opposed the relationship but had finally agreed to the wedding thanks to
an initiative brokered by the police!
(e) Accordingly, the preparations for the wedding were on and the girl's mom and her two
brothers were away at Kozhikode town to buy clothes for the wedding.
(f) Her inebriated father got into an argument and attacked her with the kitchen knife. She ran
into her neighbour's house crying for help but he chased her and inflicted the fatal wound.
(g) She suffered a deep wound on her chest to which she succumbed soon after.
An honour killing in a highly literate state? Can't believe it. Had Muthachhan been alive, it would have pained him immensely or would such an incident have taken place?
I'm reminded of something that I'd come to know during a journey that I'd undertaken, through the interiors of Kerala, last December. Almost a century back, Sahodaran Ayyappan, an outspoken follower of Sree Narayana Guru and a great social reformer had organised the famous combined feast for the Ezhavas and the lower castes on the basis of his argument, "You complain about being demeaned by the upper castes but you behave in a similar fashion with the people of the castes lower to you, which should be shunned".
By this singular incident, we've put the clock back and thumbed our noses at the efforts of Sahodaran Ayyappan and other well meaning people. It's my fond hope that this is not repeated.
Tailpiece.
Adorable reads.
Letters children actually wrote to God.
"Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don't You keep the ones You have already made........''
Here are the salient points of the case:-
(a) Athira, all of 21 years, was working as a lab assistant at the Manjeri Medical College and
Hospital. She's from the Ezhava community.
(b) She fell in love with Brijesh, a young army man, belonging to the Dalit community(SC/ST).
(c) Their love had blossomed when his mother was taken for treatment at the hospital.
(d) Both the families opposed the relationship but had finally agreed to the wedding thanks to
an initiative brokered by the police!
(e) Accordingly, the preparations for the wedding were on and the girl's mom and her two
brothers were away at Kozhikode town to buy clothes for the wedding.
(f) Her inebriated father got into an argument and attacked her with the kitchen knife. She ran
into her neighbour's house crying for help but he chased her and inflicted the fatal wound.
(g) She suffered a deep wound on her chest to which she succumbed soon after.
An honour killing in a highly literate state? Can't believe it. Had Muthachhan been alive, it would have pained him immensely or would such an incident have taken place?
I'm reminded of something that I'd come to know during a journey that I'd undertaken, through the interiors of Kerala, last December. Almost a century back, Sahodaran Ayyappan, an outspoken follower of Sree Narayana Guru and a great social reformer had organised the famous combined feast for the Ezhavas and the lower castes on the basis of his argument, "You complain about being demeaned by the upper castes but you behave in a similar fashion with the people of the castes lower to you, which should be shunned".
By this singular incident, we've put the clock back and thumbed our noses at the efforts of Sahodaran Ayyappan and other well meaning people. It's my fond hope that this is not repeated.
Tailpiece.
Adorable reads.
Letters children actually wrote to God.
"Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don't You keep the ones You have already made........''
No comments:
Post a Comment