Indian officials plan to ban baby-tossing ritual

December 5, 2009 by Shawn Douglas
Filed under: News, Videos

Government officials in India have called for a ban on what they call a ‘cruel practice.’

A centuries-old tradition in the Indian state of Karnataka has recently come under fire from government officials.

The tradition, found in rural areas of Karnataka, involves the dropping of a baby from the top of a Hindu temple onto a blanket held by participants below. It is said that the act confers long life and prosperity to the child and family.

“By doing this, such kids will be healthy, strong, and live longer,” said Kasugouda Biradar, trust president of the Sri Santeswar temple, to the Indo-Asian News Service (IANS).

Neena Nayak, chairperson of Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, was concerned, telling IANS that “necessary action” would be taken after a thorough review of the ritual and the people involved.

Nayak said: “We are planning to ban the age-old ritual of baby-tossing practiced in a temple in Bijapur district. We have decided to end the cruel practice against infants in the name of rituals.”

The ritual, occurring during the first week of December every year, drew a crowd of thousands this past Wednesday, many of them couples hoping for good health and longevity for their children. Almost 200 babies were ritually tossed during the ceremony.

You can watch a YouTube video of the ceremony below.

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Tags: baby, baby tossing, baby-tossing ritual, Bijapur, ceremony, hindu, India, india baby tossing, Indo-Asian News Service, Karnataka, Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Kasugouda Biradar, Neena Nayak, ritual, Sri Santeswar temple, YouTube

Comments

3 Comments on "Indian officials plan to ban baby-tossing ritual"

Baby Food Grinder on Sat, 5th Dec 2009 7:31 pm

A centuries old tradition where babies grow to be healthy, strong and live longer. In other words, if your child is injured and survives, then they must be strong enough to cope with anything. Stupidity knows no bounds.

Vivek on Sun, 6th Dec 2009 10:08 pm

The author needs to do his research before writing an article. If one looks at the so called “Hindu temple”, anyone with some knowledge will realize that it is a Muslim Mosque. A look at the people’s skull caps will further ascertain that the people are Muslim and not Hindu as claimed by the author.

AS far as the act of tossing a baby is concerned, it is outright crazy and stupid and the government is taking the right step in trying to stop it.

Shawn Douglas on Tue, 8th Dec 2009 6:11 pm

Vivek,

The article was researched. Information concerning the story was gathered from three different sources, all indicating that they were temples, not mosques. Karnataka is well known for its Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shaneshwara, who is often referred to as Lord Shani Dev. Additionally, many Hindus wear a cap called a topee or topi that strongly resembles a Muslim kufi.

Please do your own fair share of research before critiquing.

Regards,

Shawn

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