Bhubaneswar: A young woman, Deeptilata Mohanty, of Sarkana village in Odisha’s Khurda district recently performed the last rites of her father, breaking the age-old Hindu tradition of only a male being allowed to light a parent’s funeral pyre.
On the tenth day, in a gesture that moved the entire village, she sat down and had her head tonsured, as a sign of purification and mourning, just as a son would. Then, with quiet dignity, she broke the ritual earthen pot, bringing the period of grief to its solemn close.
According to sources, Sharata Mohanty passed away on December 1. Since he had no son to light his funeral pyre, Deeptilata, with tears in her eyes and strength in her soul, stepped forward. She herself performed the mukhaagni at Swargadwar cremation ground in Puri, keeping the promise she had made to her father.
In that sacred, sorrow-filled moment, she carried not just the torch, but the weight of centuries of tradition on her young shoulders. For the next ten days, she observed every mourning ritual with aching devotion: offering the daily handi with trembling hands, lighting the evening lamp through silent tears, following every rule of purity without any deviation as if her father’s peace depended on it.
The villagers didn’t protest. They didn’t whisper in disapproval. Instead, they watched with moist eyes and swelling pride, appreciating her commitment to the rituals and acknowledging her role in fulfilling her family responsibilities with dignity.
Her elder sister, Preeti and brother-in-law, Shashibhusan, said that she became their strength in their deepest sorrow. “My father had asked her to carry out the rituals since I had got married,” said Preeti.
Speaking to the media, Deeptilata said that she was happy to have been able to conduct all the rituals. “My father is no more, but I know that he must be looking down at me with pride,” she added.
