Eagle_Eye
5th April 2012, 09:51
I am shocked its not banned already!!...... Doesn't Karnataka have a high literacy rate?
Hundreds of villagers assembled last week at the Sri Santeswar temple near Indi, in the state of Karnataka, to watch as infants were tossed from a concrete structure on the temple’s terrace onto a cloth held below.
Around 200 babies are dropped by their parents every year while crowds sing and dance. Most of the infants are under two years old.
The ritual takes place in the first week of December, and is believed to bring health and luck to new arrivals.
Couples participate in the tradition in the hope that they will be blessed with children.
The ritual is said to have existed for over a hundred years, although some claim it is seven centuries old. It has recently met with opposition from local authorities.
The deputy commissioner for the Bijapur district, R. Shantaraj, said “As I am new to the district, I did not know about the unusual ritual, which is inhuman and terrifying for babies. “I intend to prevent the people from indulging in such acts [in future].”
The Karnataka Commission for the Protection of Child Rights is investigating the festival.
Its chairman, Nenna Nayak, said “We have sought a report from the district administration on the ritual to prevent a repeat of it.” She also plans to demand an explanation from the priests involved.
The commission, which was established this year, is only the fifth such state commission in India. It has the right to summon anyone to a hearing, and can recommend legal action against abusers of children's rights.
According to Indian news sources, however, the temple’s president Kasugouda Biradar did not see anything dangerous in the ritual.
“By doing this, such kids will be healthy, strong, and live longer,” he told the Indo-Asian news service.
Baby-throwing rituals have had worldwide attention since August, when an Indian TV crew filmed footage of screaming infants being dropped from a 50 foot temple tower in Haranga, a village in the West Indian state of Maharashtra.
A similar custom has been recorded at the Baba Umer Durga shrine in the village of Solapur, about 280 miles south of Mumbai.
A spokesman for the Indian Council for Child Welfare said that teh coucil had not heard of the events in Bijapur, and possessed no record of children being hurt in such rituals.
Muslim and Hindu communities both take part in these events, but the festivals’ origins are unclear.
Dr Renate Söhen-Thieme, a professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, said “There is the possibility that some customs may have existed unnoticed and unrecorded amongst a locally restricted segment of society.”
She added that the ritual is “certainly not part of the classical Hindu tradition” but nor does it adhere to Muslim precepts.
The “strange” name of the Solapur shrine, however, “shows a mixture of Muslim and Hindu elements,” which suggests there are a variety of influences on local practices.
Tom Hall, travel editor for Lonely Planet, which publishes the guide A Year of Festivals, said that India was notable for its “rich festival tradition, which allows us to see the country at its most colourful and chaotic”.
Many areas are fiercely protective of their customs.
In August, for instance, police who attempted to stop a rock-pelting festival in central India were attacked and forced to withdraw by angry villagers.
Mr Hall added that outlandish traditions supposed to bring luck to infants could be found throughout the world. In Castillo de Murcia, Spain, the El Colacho festival sees men dressed as devils jump over rows of toddlers. It is believed the rite cleanses the children of evil spirits.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/6771374/Indian-baby-tossing-ceremony-may-be-banned.html
Hundreds of villagers assembled last week at the Sri Santeswar temple near Indi, in the state of Karnataka, to watch as infants were tossed from a concrete structure on the temple’s terrace onto a cloth held below.
Around 200 babies are dropped by their parents every year while crowds sing and dance. Most of the infants are under two years old.
The ritual takes place in the first week of December, and is believed to bring health and luck to new arrivals.
Couples participate in the tradition in the hope that they will be blessed with children.
The ritual is said to have existed for over a hundred years, although some claim it is seven centuries old. It has recently met with opposition from local authorities.
The deputy commissioner for the Bijapur district, R. Shantaraj, said “As I am new to the district, I did not know about the unusual ritual, which is inhuman and terrifying for babies. “I intend to prevent the people from indulging in such acts [in future].”
The Karnataka Commission for the Protection of Child Rights is investigating the festival.
Its chairman, Nenna Nayak, said “We have sought a report from the district administration on the ritual to prevent a repeat of it.” She also plans to demand an explanation from the priests involved.
The commission, which was established this year, is only the fifth such state commission in India. It has the right to summon anyone to a hearing, and can recommend legal action against abusers of children's rights.
According to Indian news sources, however, the temple’s president Kasugouda Biradar did not see anything dangerous in the ritual.
“By doing this, such kids will be healthy, strong, and live longer,” he told the Indo-Asian news service.
Baby-throwing rituals have had worldwide attention since August, when an Indian TV crew filmed footage of screaming infants being dropped from a 50 foot temple tower in Haranga, a village in the West Indian state of Maharashtra.
A similar custom has been recorded at the Baba Umer Durga shrine in the village of Solapur, about 280 miles south of Mumbai.
A spokesman for the Indian Council for Child Welfare said that teh coucil had not heard of the events in Bijapur, and possessed no record of children being hurt in such rituals.
Muslim and Hindu communities both take part in these events, but the festivals’ origins are unclear.
Dr Renate Söhen-Thieme, a professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, said “There is the possibility that some customs may have existed unnoticed and unrecorded amongst a locally restricted segment of society.”
She added that the ritual is “certainly not part of the classical Hindu tradition” but nor does it adhere to Muslim precepts.
The “strange” name of the Solapur shrine, however, “shows a mixture of Muslim and Hindu elements,” which suggests there are a variety of influences on local practices.
Tom Hall, travel editor for Lonely Planet, which publishes the guide A Year of Festivals, said that India was notable for its “rich festival tradition, which allows us to see the country at its most colourful and chaotic”.
Many areas are fiercely protective of their customs.
In August, for instance, police who attempted to stop a rock-pelting festival in central India were attacked and forced to withdraw by angry villagers.
Mr Hall added that outlandish traditions supposed to bring luck to infants could be found throughout the world. In Castillo de Murcia, Spain, the El Colacho festival sees men dressed as devils jump over rows of toddlers. It is believed the rite cleanses the children of evil spirits.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/6771374/Indian-baby-tossing-ceremony-may-be-banned.html