TANAHUN, Nov 24: Breaking the traditional stereotypes, many women in Damauli, Tanahun, are making efforts to change the conservative mindsets and abolish deceptive customs. As per the Hindu tradition, only men are allowed to carry dead bodies and perform the final rites while women are not authorized to do so. However, some women in Damauli have dared to go against this practice.

Eighty-one years old Min Bahadur Basyal of Kalesti, Gajaude who lived in Ved Vyas old age home based in Vyas-5, breathed his last on Friday. After his death, various women associated with the old age home carried the dead body to the cremation site and also lit the funeral pyre.
According to Shakuntala Ale Magar, executive chairperson of the old age home, women decided to take this step in order to change the patriarchal thinking. "It is very important to teach people that change is possible if we make efforts," she said. However, this is not the first time these women have taken such a step. Earlier too, they had cremated an old woman of the same old age home. Meanwhile, Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel provided Rs. 10,000 for the cremation of Basyal.

Min Bahadur had been living in the old age home for the last five years. He was unmarried and there was no one to look after him. For the past few weeks, his health was deteriorating which ultimately resulted in his death. 
This old age home was established in 2013 with small contributions from 15 women. But now more than 320 women live there. Many poor, disabled, homeless and elderly people are sheltering here.
  
Caption: Women associated with Vedvyas old age home, Vyas-5, carrying the dead body to the cremation site.

 
• women
 
• inal rites
 
• damauli
 
• breaking the traditional stereotypes