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Ganesh
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(untitled)
April 10, 2005 - 10:40 AM
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More than 100 children have been buried alive in India as part of a 400-year-old ritual to appease two female deities.
They were buried for about a minute during a ceremony known as Kuzhi Maatru Thiruvizhaa, which translates as festival of pits.
The ritual is practiced by a small group of Hindus in Tamil Nadu. It is observed every five to seven years, in the belief that villagers' wishes will be granted by goddesses Muthukuzhi Mariamman and Kaliamman.
Only prepubescent females are allowed to take part but there is no age restriction on males.
The participants are supposedly rendered "unconscious" by relatives who sprinkle ash on their heads and spray turmeric water on their faces before carrying them to a burial ground in front of a temple.
According to tradition, if the child fails to fall unconscious the burial is deemed cancelled and the family fined the equivalent of £13.47.
It is reported gravediggers ensure the children are too ''exhausted'' to try and wriggle out of the pit at the time they are being buried. The children, wrapped in yellow cloth, are lowered into makeshift graves, which are fully covered, and pulled out only after priests say a minute has passed.
C.Durairaj, Tamil Nadu's minister for Housing and Urban Development, who was guest of honour at the ritual in Perayur, told The Indian Express: "I went there and witnessed the festival on the invitation of the community which organised it. I've nothing more to say."
A former president of the Perayur Council, known only as Kaliraj, claimed there had been no untoward incident at the festival so far.
There have been protests against the ritual but politicians are apparently loath to intervene. Police do not see it necessary to interfere in the absence of complaints from the general public.
Thursday 22nd August 2002
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Mickey Mouse
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children buried alive
April 14, 2005 - 04:06 AM
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How terrible can it get.
Babarians not less.
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aa
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Re: (untitled)
April 14, 2005 - 04:21 AM
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Hello,
Unicef? Human rights? hello there!
This is a crime! i don t blame the people who do this because they are ignorant and unaware, but all the blame is to the authorities.
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Yong Kyeong Roo
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Re: (untitled)
April 16, 2005 - 12:10 PM
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Asma85 and Funkyt
Before openly condemning a people, please consider the credibility of the report and the person posting it here.
Which organisation has written the report? Where else has it been covered?
This "Dalit" has a bizarre obsession with India it looks like.
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Arul
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Re: (untitled)
April 26, 2005 - 01:48 AM
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INDIAN EXPRESS REPORT previous)
NEW REPORTS:
(CNN)
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/04/14/india.burials.reut/
(PHOTO INCLUDED)
WORLD
Children 'buried alive' in India
NEW DELHI, India (Reuters) -- Indian police have charged 80 people for burying children alive in an ancient Hindu ceremony known as "the festival of pits."
The ceremony, in which children -- some less than a year old -- are buried alive briefly and then dug up, happened on Monday in southern Tamil Nadu state, The Asian Age reported on Thursday.
Authorities have been trying for years to stop it and people found guilty face up to three years in jail and/or a fine of 5000 rupees ($114).
Every two years, parents who have vowed to bury their first-born if they are blessed with a child, take part in the Kuzhimattru Thiru Vizha ceremony.
The children are drugged to make them unconscious and placed in shallow "graves" in temple courtyards.
The pits are covered with leaves and dirt and the children are pulled out after Hindu priests chant a brief prayer -- lasting up to a minute.
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Vivek
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Re: (untitled)
April 26, 2005 - 04:13 AM
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Dalit... I admire the way you sensationalize a perfectly innocous custom... to make it sound like something barbarous or inhuman.
People, here are a few facts.... people of the Peruyar region of Tamil Nadu... celebrate what they call as the "Festivial of pits". Families allow their first-borns to be buried in a pit in the temple courtyard (it is not a graveyard) while priests of the temple chant several hymns. The entire ceremony lasts one minute... thats sixty seconds... and then the kids are taken out of the pits.
Only children in the age group of 4 to 20 are allowed to participate in this... and girls post-puberty are disallowed... primarily because of health concerns.
Special care is taken that the children are either unconcious or asleep when they are buried... for being buried while you are in full conciousness can be terrible... and the stress caused could be disastrous for the child's psychological health.
In the past... when the media has tried to cover this event... there having been incidents of violent clashes with the believers.
The authorities and the government... have been trying their best for a several years now to put an end to this ritual. Primarily because the risks involved are too many... and although nothing unfortunate has happened till date... we simply cannot wait for a disaster to happen.
The police is faced with a strange problem... primarily because... they cannot do anything as long as no one is hurt.... and the amount of care and precision that goes into this ritual... it is obvious that nothing untoward would happen.
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nGr8
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Re: (untitled)
April 26, 2005 - 05:22 AM
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Originally posted by greyarmadillo
Special care is taken that the children are either unconcious or asleep when they are buried... for being buried while you are in full conciousness can be terrible... and the stress caused could be disastrous for the child's psychological health.
Are the children really unconcious or asleep?
(sprinkling ash on my head and spraying my face with turmeric water might not be enough to make me fall asleep).
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Aarthy
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Re: (untitled)
April 26, 2005 - 08:12 AM
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Hmmm...
Did you know tha the Incas (sorry I may have spelt it wrong) believed that the Mountains were the Gods of Universe.
When it rained heavily, it would thunder, or if there was a drought, the Incas believed that the Mountain Gods were angry.
What did they do? They "scarificed" their children. Yes indeed, but don't think it was too bad.Why? In their culture it was an honour to be given to the Gods.
Of course, to us it is different, it seems completely wrong. That is because our culture considers it wrong. (i.e. people who EAT each other, I consider a hell of a wrong thing to do, in some places it's the way of life) Wrong and Right are different in different places. There are hardly any universal rights and wrongs.
Moreover, religion is a powerful thing. When individuals believe in whatever they believe in, they will go to great lengths to show their love to their God(s). It is not uncommon. It happened in the past, it is happening now.."in the name of God", many people would say, when stepping into war and coming out with nothing but the blood of others on their hands.
Maybe people still do this, sacrifice animals, other humans, etc. Most of the time it is for religious purposes, first one must address that without attacking their religious beliefs, because I know I would be pissed off if someone said something about my religion.
I agree, "buring children alive" is quite appauling, but addressing and changing it is a whole different matter and must be done with caution, and not with blatent attacks at a people because you heard something on the news.
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Vivek
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Re: (untitled)
April 26, 2005 - 08:48 AM
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Originally posted by Aarthy
I agree, "buring children alive" is quite appauling, but addressing and changing it is a whole different matter and must be done with caution, and not with blatent attacks at a people because you heard something on the news.
This is NOT a SACRIFICE!!! No one is killed here!!!
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Aarthy
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Re: (untitled)
April 26, 2005 - 09:00 AM
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This is NOT a SACRIFICE!!! No one is killed here!!! [/B][/QUOTE]
I meant the idea of having children buried alive is appauling. I don't mean it happens, nor do I mean putting them in a pit, I mean literally having children, alive, buried so they eventually die.
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Erin Daymon
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Re: (untitled)
May 5, 2005 - 04:45 AM
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I have witnessed this ritual. There is nothing wrong with it as children are unconscious or asleep. This is a perfectly harmless ritual blown out of proportion.
"sprinkling ash on my head and spraying my face with turmeric water might not be enough to make me fall asleep)."
Children are not put to sleep that way. They are already fast asleep when they are buried.
Like Grey Armadillo said, this has been sensationalised and blown out of proportion.
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nGr8
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Re: (untitled)
May 5, 2005 - 08:14 AM
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I'm glad to hear that you've seen it and it is perfectly harmless.
Actually, I was just being curious about the being asleep part anyway (according to the Reuters news agency they are "drugged" . If it was me, I'd probably rather be awake (just in case something happens).
Of course, maybe I would prefer not to be involved at all, which brings me to my point. I don't think how dangerous it is, is really the main issue. The more important question is whether the children (NOT the parents) really want to do it or not. If they are too young to choose then that's a pretty good indication that they are too young to do it.
Adult males have historically been in charge of writing Civil Rights and recently, the Women's Rights movement has come a long way. However, no one is speaking up for Rights of Children, and in a lot of issues they are the ones who's rights ought to be considered.
In another example, there is a famous ritual on the Pentecostal Islands where young boys (as young as 7 yrs old) jump off of 30+ metre wooden towers with a vine attached to their leg. Do the boys really have a choice? Not in my opinion, since they must do so in order to "prove their manhood". The higher the tower the more of a man and of course, the greater the injuries.
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=130132&page=1
I am not saying that this is the exact equivalent to the burial ritual, but it doesn't have to be. These are both good examples of issues that involve Children's Rights.
In any case, I'm happy we examined it and talked about it (thank you Dalit), because the kids are not always in a position to do so. Besides, I learned something I otherwise wouldn't have known.
Notice, my statements are NOT implying that all people from the Pentecostal Islands are bad (and no one is saying that all people from India are bad. Don't be so sensitive!).
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Arul
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Re: (untitled)
May 6, 2005 - 01:54 AM
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Originally posted by erin69
Reuters or no Reuters, children are not drugged.
then? how is this done ?
Originally posted by erin69
It's funny that a person from the land of witch doctors and vodoo is attacking harmless Indian customs.
address the main point.
Originally posted by erin69
It's funny that a person from the land of witch doctors and vodoo is attacking harmless Indian customs.
plz address the main point.
Originally posted by erin69
My grandfather served in India in the 1930s and I have visited the country several times.
so?
Originally posted by erin69
Let me tell you that India has far more respect for human rights, children's right and women's rights than Benin or any African country.
address the main point.
Originally posted by erin69
India is not perfect and neither is my country Ireland or any country for that matter.
so?
Originally posted by erin69
But trolls like Dalit have no issues except to pick up fights through the computer screen.
quit personal talks - plz address the main point.
Originally posted by erin69
I personally don't give a damn about your views, nGr8
not that we agree wit u - anyway/ respect your views.
learn to be more mature in writing.
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Arul
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Re: (untitled)
May 6, 2005 - 02:01 AM
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Originally posted by erin
Children are not put to sleep that way. They are already fast asleep when they are buried.
oooops - evidence plz.
Originally posted by greyarmadillo
Special care is taken that the children are either unconcious or asleep when they are buried...
now u tell - how is this done ? special care? how?
person who claimed to have seen it - (Erin) says children are {not} drugged - how is this done ?
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Erin Daymon
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Re: (untitled)
May 6, 2005 - 02:08 AM
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Reuters or no Reuters, children are not drugged. It's funny that a person from the land of witch doctors and vodoo is attacking harmless Indian customs.
Your praise of this Dalit is unbecoming. This person is on a single mission here and that is to poison India.
My grandfather served in India in the 1930s and I have visited the country several times. Let me tell you that India has far more respect for human rights, children's right and women's rights than Benin or any African country.
India is not perfect and neither is my country Ireland or any country for that matter. But trolls like Dalit have no issues except to pick up fights through the computer screen. I personally don't give a damn about your views, nGr8
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