Challenging ritual norms: Parents hold ‘upanayana’ for 10-yr-old daughter

Barrackpore: In a remarkable step towards gender equality, a family in Barrackpore has challenged age-old customs by organising an ‘upanayana’ (sacred thread ceremony) for their daughter—an event traditionally reserved for boys.

Adrika Mandal, a Class 5 student at a private school in Sodepur, had her ‘upanayana’ last Sunday. Her parents Arijit and Dipanwita Mandal said that they wished to raise their daughter with equal opportunities. “I wanted to transfer a part of my identity to her. Gender should not be a barrier in this,” said the father.“From the skies to the oceans, women are excelling in every field today—so why should certain rituals be reserved only for boys?”—This was the compelling argument put forth by the Mandal family. Relatives and friends too accepted and appreciated their decision. Little Adrika added: “I enjoyed the rituals and the ceremony.”

An ideologist and specialist of Indian epics and ‘purans’ Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri, however, questioned the relevance of the ritual in present times. He pointed out that the caste system today has mostly turned into a tool of oppression and therefore becoming a “new Brahmin” through such ceremonies holds little significance. According to him, the original spirit of ‘upanayana’ lay in an 11-day discipline of austerity and a knowledge-seeking process under a guru. “Now it has merely become a symbolic act, with priests chanting a few mantras,” Bhaduri observed.

Not only ‘upanayana’, Adrika’s identity is also shaped by her excellent performance in kick-boxing. She won a state-level gold medal in kickboxing and will compete in the national championship next month.

Adrika’s mother, Dipanwita, added: “I always wanted her to be raised as an equal.” For the Mandal family, the ceremony was not only about breaking tradition but also about inspiring others to imagine a more equal future.