The Hindu Business Line : Revolutionary chants

Even as women are kept out of the sanctum sanctorum of Hindu temples in most parts of the country, Pune is boldly inviting them in. The 500-odd women priests in the city dominate religious ceremonies here, especially in people's homes.

Known for its active adoption of women's education, widow remarriage and family planning as far back as the late-1800s, Pune appears to be knocking down the last male bastion — priesthood.

There is still some way to go, though. "In the past five to six years, women priests have found general acceptance. However, I still come across cases where the younger members in a family book me for a religious ceremony, but later call up to cancel because the senior family members are vehemently opposed to women performing any rites," says Chitra Chandrachud, 55.

A busy priest, she has been in the profession since 1997. She also feels that women are sometimes reserved as standbys for occasions when male priests are not available.

Suniti Gadgil, in her early 50s, and one of the first women priests in Pune, agrees: "There is only 10 per cent rejection of women priests now when it comes to routine ceremonies — thread or marriage ceremony, for instance.

However, rites and rituals connected with death continue to be male territory. Even before I became a priest, I lit my mother's funeral pyre. I would like to take on this assignment as a priest too. However, these rituals take place at odd times, which is why I have not been able to take them up."

`Inauspicious' rituals

Sandhya Kulkarni, 47, a Sanskrit scholar and a priest, first conducted death rituals when noted actor Mohan Agashe's mother died a few years ago. This drew the media's attention to her bold decision. After that, she conducted several such rites. Over time, she realised that her friends, even her own family, were ostracising her.

Finally, her family said she must stop conducting these `inauspicious' rituals for the sake of her children, because no one would marry people who came from a family that conducted death rites. "I stopped then, but even now some of our relatives don't visit my house."

Most women priests undertake shraaddha (after-death rituals), but not the actual death rites. While male priests who conduct the death rituals also suffer from some amount of stigma, for women the whole experience is much more unpleasant.

V.S. Gurjar, head of the priesthood division of the educational institution Jnan Prabodhini, Pune, says, "In the Hindu tradition, women have a right to moksha (liberation of the soul). In comparison, priesthood is a lowly status — so, why should women not be accepted? Slowly the inhibition around death rituals will also disappear. In Uttar Pradesh, which is more conservative than Maharashtra, the late Gulabbai Tripathi was in charge of a crematorium for about 70-odd years. She defied society to undertake death rites."

The first step

This social revolution in Pune began in the early-1980s, when Shankarrao Thatte — owner of a premier marriage hall in Pune, the Udyan Karyalaya — launched the Shankar Seva Samiti to train women priests.

The lackadaisical attitude of male priests towards their duties led Thatte to think that women ought to be trained as priests. Says Suniti, who trained at the Samiti, "Mama (as Shankarrao is fondly referred to) used to be very annoyed with the insincerity of male priests. He was determined to break this lethargy. So, he first learnt the shlokas (hymns) of the required rituals and then taught us in class. He went on to become a master, and began to organise four-month classes."

To ensure that women priests gain acceptability, he took the first batch of 22 women priests on a tour to the UK and the US to introduce them to Indian (mostly Maharashtrian) families there. He felt that this would be a good way to ensure initial acceptance of women priests.

Competition hots up

Today, male priests face stiff competition from women. Says Gurjar, "In the past six to seven years, women have come to be more welcomed than their male counterparts. People tell me we do a better job!" Manisha Kulkarni, a housewife, agrees: "Thanks to the competition, men have also fallen in line, and are rarely late for their appointments."

Another reason for the popularity of women priests is the falling number of male priests. Nigudkar Guruji, a well-known priest, explains, "Education has provided children of priests with other opportunities."

The result was that in places like Mumbai and Pune, it became difficult to find a priest to officiate ceremonies. In fact, a variety of audiocassettes of recorded pujas were suddenly selling like hot cakes. Women priests are now filling that need.

Both the Shankar Seva Samiti and the Jnana Prabodhini have been instrumental in revolutionising the profession of priesthood. While the Samiti no longer trains women priests (it never did train male priests), several senior students have begun private coaching classes.

Jnana Prabodhini offers an eight-month course for a nominal fee of Rs 100 a month. It also has a cell of 30 priests, of which 20 are women, who can be engaged for various ceremonies at a nominal fee.

Whatever the beginning — whether necessity or an intent to reform the profession — priesthood is better off with its women members.

Gulabbai Tripathi

Gulabbai Tripathi was only 11 when she conducted her first funeral and death rites at the death of her father. She died in 2005, at the ripe old age of 86.

For 70-odd years, she was in charge of a crematorium in Allahabad, which she made her home. Marathi writer Mangala Athlekar even penned a book based on her life titled `Gargi'.

Says Athlekar, "When I got to know her, I realised that we — women in cities — only talk about women's liberation in our ivory towers. Gulabbai may not have known the jargon of women's rights, but she put this `liberation' into action.

"Just as, in Vedic times, Gargi boldly questioned the intellect of Yajnavalkya in a Brahmin gathering, Gulabbai questioned the Brahmin gurus of our era.

"Why can a woman not undertake last rites, she asked. She built her own ghat on the banks of the Ganga and served society for 70 years."

Reformist Sanskrit scholars

In the mid-1930s, reformist Sanskrit scholars in Pune — like P.V. Kane, Tarkatirth Lasman Shastri Joshi, Kewalanand Saraswati and Tarkasankhya Teerth Raghunat Shastri Kogze — felt the need to demystify rituals for the common people. They published easy-to-follow booklets.

Then, in the 1970s, noted educationist and founder of Jnana Prabodhini, V.V. Pendse, founded the Sanskrit Sanshodhika to popularise vedic rituals and take the reformist movement forward. He published more booklets.

In all, there are 19 booklets now, and these are what priests in Maharashtra rely on today for conducting religious rites.

Women's Feature Service

More Stories on : Trends | Gender | Maharashtra

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Much beyond cricket and curry

Raindrops for company

Art smart deals

Life is more than just a job

Revolutionary chants