Uttarkhand: We have reached the moon and returned but still there are some age-old taboos which continue to remain.
A prime example of one such taboo-affected place is the Malla Danpur village in Bageshwar district of Uttarkhand.
In this village even today women are not allowed to stay within the house at night during their menstrual cycle.
It may be shocking, but it is a true fact. The women then are branded ‘untouchables’. They have to spend nights in the Gaushala (cowshed). The only relaxation for them is that they can enter the house during the day.
In spite of this being the 21st century, some parts of rural India are yet to come out of repressible customs followed for centuries.
People in the village believe that the presence of women undergoing menstruation, inside the house will draw the wrath of Gods and Goddesses. Hence irrespective of the weather conditions throughout the year, the women are forced to stay in the discomfort of cowsheds during their menstruation cycle.
PNN/Agencies
