By IANS,
New Delhi : At first glance, Suniti Gadgil doesn’t look like a Hindu priest. One of the very few women who have broken yet another male bastion, Gadgil always wears a bright smile though not necessarily a priest’s robes.
“My journey to becoming a priest has been a challenging one. Initially, people were not ready to accept it, even my husband did not support me. But now things have changed,” Gadgil said at the UN Population Fund’s (UNFPA) report release function Wednesday.
“After conducting a ceremony and attending to my duties when I come back home late, my husband takes care of the household and is only proud of it.”
UNFPA’s 2008 report, “Reaching Common Ground: Culture, Gender and Human Rights”, focusses on the importance of culture in the development of a nation.
Gender equality, the report stressed, is a human right. Gadgil, in her 50s, hails from Pune and she was one of the voices from the ground to talk on this aspect at the function.
“I have been a priest since 1995 and can confidently say that slowly people are learning to accept this change. However, rituals connected with death still continue to be a man’s territory.
“I, however, lit my mother’s funeral pyre. And that was even before I became a priest,” she said.
Jasbir Kaur of Rajasthan was another voice that campaigned for change in her own way. A mother of three daughters, Kaur said she had to face dejection from many, including her husband, because she chose not to kill her daughters.
“I had a terrible married life. Right after marriage I realised that my husband was an alcoholic. I became pregnant soon after but because of inadequate medical care, I gave birth to a still born male child,” Kaur said with a straight face.
“After some time I again became pregnant and after an ultrasound realised that I was carrying triplets – all girls. My husband tried to force me to abort them but I was firm not to. Only my mother supported me and with her help I set up my own home and now live happily with my daughters,” she said.
Kaur said now people come to her saying she is lucky to have daughters.
“Some women come to me saying their sons have thrown them out of their homes and that I was lucky to have such lovely daughters. Since I work with the health department, I tell people that discriminating against the girl child is the biggest sin ever,” she smiled.