'Kanya Daan', in literal translation means giving away your daughter in charity. In India, this is a highly revered ritual performed during weddings when the parents give away their daughters to the groom who is considered to be a form of God Vishnu. Now, offering the most precious possession of the parents to God Vishnu is supposed to wash out their sins. So what about the 'thing' you are giving away?
A girl is not a 'thing'. Girls are not 'possessions'. Girls are not to be given away in the name of charity or even as a 'gift'. Girls are humans just like men. Offering daughters as a gift to another family is not ethical. I am a Hindu and would never hurt the sentiments of the people attached to my community and others. But this is not what Hinduism teaches. In the Vedas, there is no mention of 'Kanya Daan'. No text, as old as the Vedas, would ever advocate this position of a woman in the society. All of this started in the medieval times when having an unmarried daughter was considered a matter of shame for the parents and apparently, women were to be protected by a bit more physically powerful section of the society comprising of men. Today, women have entered every field and have excelled in the same be it boxing, wrestling, engineering, sports, business etc. So why have such unwanted rituals sustained their position in our society till today? Marriage is the start of a companionship between two people who are equal. Men and women are equal. There is no point of considering one as a liability so as to transfer the same to someone else. A girl will always remain the daughter of her parents. Nothing about their relationship changes after her marriage. 'Kanya Daan' is just another way of suppressing women as they enter another phase of their lives and it is time that we stop considering them as a burden.
I speak against this ritual of being treated as a responsibility or a thing. I refuse to become a piece of charity. What about you?
A girl is not a 'thing'. Girls are not 'possessions'. Girls are not to be given away in the name of charity or even as a 'gift'. Girls are humans just like men. Offering daughters as a gift to another family is not ethical. I am a Hindu and would never hurt the sentiments of the people attached to my community and others. But this is not what Hinduism teaches. In the Vedas, there is no mention of 'Kanya Daan'. No text, as old as the Vedas, would ever advocate this position of a woman in the society. All of this started in the medieval times when having an unmarried daughter was considered a matter of shame for the parents and apparently, women were to be protected by a bit more physically powerful section of the society comprising of men. Today, women have entered every field and have excelled in the same be it boxing, wrestling, engineering, sports, business etc. So why have such unwanted rituals sustained their position in our society till today? Marriage is the start of a companionship between two people who are equal. Men and women are equal. There is no point of considering one as a liability so as to transfer the same to someone else. A girl will always remain the daughter of her parents. Nothing about their relationship changes after her marriage. 'Kanya Daan' is just another way of suppressing women as they enter another phase of their lives and it is time that we stop considering them as a burden.
I speak against this ritual of being treated as a responsibility or a thing. I refuse to become a piece of charity. What about you?
Eye-opener
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