Sati
Sati
This term refer to an old Hindu practise prevalent during the time of Guru Nanak when the widows of husband would throw themselves into the funeral pyre of their dead husband as a sacrifice. The Sikhs Gurus preached against this practise and as a result this practise has been almost completely being eradicated from India.
The term is also extended to refer to the widow herself and is often written using the old English spelling of suttee. Although the practise was supposed to be voluntary, it has been known often be enforced on the widow by various social pressures, emotional and also by the use of drugs.
Quotes
from www.indianchild.com
Sati is the practice through which widows are voluntarily or forcibly burned alive on their husband's funeral pyre. It was banned in 1829, but had to be banned again in 1956 after a resurgence. There was another revival of the practice in 1981 with another prevention ordinance passed in 1987 (Morgan 1984). The idea justifying sati is that women have worth only in relation to men. This illustrates women's lack of status as individuals in India
