Shani Shingnapur: A village centuries behind 'Shining' India

India has a shameful distinction of segregation of human beings in the past by labeling some as 'impure' unlike the pure ones who were usually the upper caste men. Women, were treated impure and unworthy to be equal in status and opportunities even when they belonged to the so called 'upper caste'. And if you think that the ever rising and shining India had left behind all these brainless social structures, here is a village in Maharashtra which was hitherto famous for its doorless homes, apparently because of another irrational belief that those trying to steal from the houses in this village would invite the wrath of Lord Shani, whose famous temple is situated in this village. Now in 2016, a daring women broke another obscurantist tradition that disallowed women to enter the core area (Garbha Griha) for worshiping and as expected, it was followed by protests from some religious groups. The temple administration 'purified' the whole temple by washing it with milk just because a woman walked there! How could anyone expect any logic from such people who have ostensibly stopped using their brains many years ago when they immersed themselves in such blind faith. Even after the High Court ordered equal rights for men and women to pray in the temple, they stubbornly blocked women from entering into the temple. 

Such are the places of worship, where god is selectively available and his accessibility is denied by his creatures to his fellow creatures. Ideally, such temples and mosques discriminating against women for the biological processes which are the very reason for existence of humanity must be demolished as they are worse than public toilets (which in fact are much needed in India than religious monuments). It is a shame that governments in modern, democratic, pluralist and progressive India could not stand up firmly to throw open all public places for all the citizens without any discrimination. It is yet another example of how human minds are enslaved by religion leaving them to live lives worse than animals without any application of mind and under constant fear of wrath of god falling if any of the diabolically inhuman social custom is changed.