Re: [nukkad]BLANK EID MUBARAK

[Harshal Chhaya <>]

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Go not to 'nukkad' for advice, for it will say both no and yes.
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Taher wrote:
>  In most religions, menstruation is considered " impure", i.e. the
>  menstruating woman would defile the purity of the religious rites, mosques,
>  temples, etc

and Anna replied:
> (*> It is not that I am questioning the fundamentals of faith(s). I just
> wonder whether the rules would be the same if  man's physiology were 
> similar in this respect to that of woman's....


Many Hindu families too do not allow a woman to perform/attend
religious ceremonies during her period. Some families will not
even allow a woman to enter the kitchen. The logic usually used 
is 'unclean body' (which I never really understood as the body
is actually becoming more pure but whatever). However, it
seems that this is one of those cases where the original idea was
good and made sense but over the years it morphed into something
that sounds odd and doesn't make sense.

Apparently the practice started as a way to give women a break
from household chores during days when they need it the most. It
would be too much to expect the lady of the house to perform her
daily, back-breaking chores during her period. So this 'prohibition'
actually helps them take it easy - at least for a few days a month.
I bet that it was a woman who came up with this idea.

In the case of observing roza, it makes sense - it is difficult 
to maintain such rigorous fasts for regular people so why not
exempt women who are undergoing mental and physical stress?

Over the centuries, the actual practice of not letting women do
their normal tasks has more or less remained the same but the 
purported reason has changed - from giving women some rest to 
prohibiting them because they are not pure. Whatever the underlying
reason, the actual idea has some merit. Maybe the basic reasons
behind the practice need to be re-articulated but it wouldn't do
anyone good to repeal the practice.

- Harshal


-- 
 http://www.mumbai-central.com : Where Mumbaikars meet


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