Annotated Bibliography Agrawal, Ashvini. Economic Aspects of Sati
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Sati: Annotated Bibliography Agrawal, Ashvini. Economic Aspects of Sati. p.57-67. In Women in Indian History: Social, Economic and Cultural Perspectives edited by Kiran Pawar. New Delhi: Vision and Venture, 1996. The paper examines ancient texts and highlights that sati was neither an ancient, nor an Indian or a religious practice. Their greed made the coparcenens concoct means to get rid of the widow. She was denied property rights after the husband's death and when that was provided for she was induced to die. Anand, Mulk Raj. Sati: a Write up of Raja Ram Mohan Roy About Burning of Widows Alive. Delhi, B.R.; 1989. 188p. Raja Ram Mohan Roy's writings on sati are reproduced as a reminder to the intelligentsia that the struggle which launched more than a hundred years ago against the heinous crime of the burning of widows, openly and covertly, has to be renewed in several parts of our country. The addendum reproduces signed articles from the press following the Roop Kanwar incident. Dalal, Ajit K. The Sati of Deorala: An Attributional Study of Social Reactions. In Indian Journal of Social Work. 49(4); October 1998. p.349-358. The study, based on a sample of 177 male and female respondents of Allahabad city focuses on the sati incident of Deorala and examines the causes attributed by people leading to this event. The data reveals that the high status group attributes the event to the in-laws and to religious beliefs, whereas the lower status groups attributes it to fate and divine 1 inspiration. The implications of these findings in explaining the diverse reactions to the sati incident are discussed. Das, Veena. Strange Response. In Illustrated Weekly of India. 28 February, 1988.p.30-32. The public reaction to Roop Kanwar's self-immolation has mainly been indignation and contempt for sati. The author looks into history to show how this particular way of talking about sati was formulated during the British period and what it signified. The real tragedy of Roop Kanwar, she argues is the idea of heroic death which today promises transcendence through spectacular death to our youth living a banal existence and that this must be resisted. Datta, V.N. Sati: Widow Burning in India: A Historical, Social and Philosophical Enquiry into the Hindu Rite of Widow Burning. New Delhi, Manohar, 1988. 279p. Seeks to explain the origin, growth and incidence of sati. Identifies the motivating factors behind it and examines the efficacy of various attempts made over the centuries to tackle this complex problem. Also discusses the controversies about the religious sanction for sati in Hindu scriptures. Attempts to relate the practice of sati to the Hindu social system of which it is a cruder manifestation. Dutta, Anuradha. When Bodies are Not Equal How Can Rights be Equal?. In Illustrated Weekly of India. 1 May, 1988. p.26-33. The Shankaracharya of Puri has become the most ardent and vocal upholder of the barbaric rite of sati and there are millions all over the country today, who share his belief that Hinduism is under siege. Presents the views of Shankaracharya and Swami Agnivesh on this issue. 2 Gaur, Meena. Sati and Social Reforms in India. Jaipur, Publications Scheme, 1989. 168p. Attempts to explain the nature, origin, growth and efforts to eradicate social evils through reformatory movements with special reference to Rajasthan. Focuses on the status of women in the middle ages, the sati in a historical perspective with special reference to the Rajput society. The section on witchcraft deals with its nature, prevalence amongst tribals and abolition. It also covers infanticide and slave trafficking and socio- religious movements. Mainstram. Government Abets Sati Campaign. In Mainstram. 26(26); 9 April 1998.p.2-4. Focuses on a village near Meerut where Shankaracharya of Puri spread the most vicious obscurantism, running down any reform for the upliftment of womanhood, glorifying sati which is banned by law and opposing the temple entry for the Harijans. Harlan, Lindsey. Perfection and Devotion: Sati Tradition in Rajasthan. In Sati the Blessing and the Curse: The Burning of Wives in India /edited by John Stratton Hawley. New York, Oxford University Press, 1994.p.79-99. Examines the personal ideal of sati espoused by certain Rajput women - those belonging to the erstwhile aristocracy of Rajasthan. The observations are based on field work concentrated in the South West portion of Rajasthan, particularly around the Udaipur area. Joseph, George. Sati Mela Controversy Enters Courtroom. In Indian Express. 22 August, 1998.p.5. 3 Reports on the Calcutta High Court's interim order permitting a trustee of the Jhunjhunu temple to conduct the annual puja at Rani Sati temple. The Rajasthan government is likely to move the court against the order. Despite the legal battles and administrative restrictions, there is a feeling, locally, that there will be a conditional sanction for holding the mela and the puja. Kishwar, Madhu and Vanita, Ruth. The Burning of Roop Kanwar. In Understanding Violence edited by Veena Poonacha. Bombay RCWS, 1990.p.42-48. Presents a comprehensive view of the Deorala incidence in the background of the condition of Deorala, which has many schools, a literacy rate of 70 per cent and an educated population of 10,000 Rajputs and Brahmins. Highlights the reasons which led to the burning of Roop Kanwar such as the religious and political factors. Also discusses some reasons which could help in stopping its glorification. Krishna Iyer, V.R. Maha Sati: Death to Innocents. In Mainstream. 26(4); 7 November, 1987.p.22-26. Describes the incident of sati in Deorala. Indicates negligence of the police in preventing the cognizable offence publicly committed by taking out the procession in the broad day light. Nandy, Ashis. Sati as Profit Versus Sati as a Spectacle: The Public Debate on Roop Kanwar's Death. In Sati the blessing and the curse: The Burning of Wives in India edited by John Stratton Hawley. New York, Oxford University Press, 1994.p.131-149. The essay focuses on the changed conditions brought about through what the author calls the 'ghatna' or event - as well as its 'pratha' or meaning within the cultural system. Chooses to 'reproblematise' four related issues : the pace of coercion in the act of self-immolation, the veneration given to 4 the person who performs the act; its roots in the Indian ethos; and the function of the state in forbidding the practice. Narsimhan, Sakuntala. Sati: a Study of Widow Burning in India. New Delhi, Viking, 1990, 202p. Starting from the earliest incidents of sati, this account traces the history of the rite through numerous interviews and extensive scriptural, historical, sociological and legal studies. Oldenburg, Veena Talwar. The Roop Kanwar Case: Feminist Responses. p.101-127. In Sati the Blessing and the Curse: The Burning of Wives in India /edited by John Stratton Hawley. New York, Oxford University Press, 1994. Analyses and summarizes the Indian feminists' responses to Roop Kanwar's death. This response has come in the shape of active protests, detailed reports of the facts, and a stream of analytical articles. Palriwala, Rajni and Agnihotri, Indu. Tradition, the Family and the State: Politics of the Contemporary Women's Movement. p.503-532. In Region, Religion, Caste, Gender and India edited by T.V. Sathyamurthy. V.3, Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1996 The women's movement in India has had a long and chequered history in terms of perspectives, issues and ideological trends. A number of women's groups has focused attention on violence against women. In this chapter, experiences of three issue based campaigns are examined. The campaign against sati, as the other two, dowry and Muslim women's bill, encapsulates the major political trends of the period. It brings out most starkly the dialectics of the discourse, and direction of the women's movement and of national politics. 5 Sunder Rajan, Rajeshwari. Representing Sati. p.40-63. In Real and Imagined Women: Gender, Culture and Postcolonialism by Rajeshwari Sunder Rajan. London, Routledge, 1993. Explores the practice and representation of sati, the issues around rape and wife-murder and the official and media construction of the 'new' woman. In the first two chapters of the book, the subject of sati and 'representing sati' discusses the issue exclusively. Women and Media Committee Trial by Fire: A Report on Roop Kanwar's Death. Bombay, Women and Media Committee, Bombay Union of Journalists. The Women and Media Committee of the Bombay Union of Journalists sent a three member fact finding team to Deorala to investigate the sati of Roop Kanwar on 4th September 1987. The team's effort was to examine the sequence of events that led to the sati and obtain a clear perspective on the debate on whether or not there was an element of coercion in the act and to document the aftermath of the incident. The team's report is presented here. Upreti, H.C. and Upreti, Nandini. The Myth of Sati. Bombay, Himalaya, 1991. 151p. Explains the religious and spiritual significance of sati for the Hindus and gives the historical perspective through the ages. Different dimensions of widow burning, especially in the context of Deorala episode have been explored. The role of political parties, various women's organizations and the local community has been examined. Also analyses the low status of widows in Hindu society and the problem of widowhood. 6 .