Berhampur: In a shocking incident from Baliapalli village in Odisha’s Ganjam district, a family conducted a symbolic funeral for their daughter after she chose to marry outside her caste.
On Sunday, villagers watched as Niranjan Gouda’s family carried a bier draped with a new saree, accompanied by chants of “Ram Naam Satya Hai” and the beating of drums—rituals usually reserved for the dead. But instead of a body, the bier held a banana trunk covered with clothes. For the Gouda family, their daughter, who had recently married against their wishes, was “dead.”
The decision came a month after the daughter’s marriage, which her parents considered a “crime” against their family’s honour. To appease relatives and their community, the parents staged the funeral, burning the symbolic body at the cremation ground and performing post-cremation rituals, including a mourning feast.
Speaking to reporters, father Niranjan Gouda said,
“We raised four daughters and one son in hardship. But one daughter marrying out of caste has lowered our honour. We had no choice but to declare her dead.”
Her mother echoed the sentiment, saying they had to carry out the rites to satisfy their community.
The video of the event, recorded by a villager, has since gone viral on social media, sparking outrage. Many called it an example of how women’s right to choose is still denied in the name of caste and honour, even as India celebrates achievements like women leading space missions.
No police case has been registered, and the administration has yet to intervene. Experts warn that such practices are rooted in illiteracy and social conditioning.
Sociologist Renubala Samantaray noted, “We cannot just blame one family. It is about education, culture, and awareness. Authorities must take cognizance and create awareness that such rituals are harmful. Increasing literacy and empowering younger generations is the only way to resist these practices.”
The incident highlights how, in certain parts of rural Odisha, outdated traditions continue to prevail, overriding individual rights and leaving young women caught between personal freedom and community control.
