Recently a 13 year old died after a 68 day fast. The family was prosperous and religious and encouraged the girl to complete the fast. The girl even stopped going to school due to low energy. For a background, read this article –
This fast was considered a source of pride for the family within the community.
The debate for today is – Has religion in today’s India simply become an appeal to the gods to grant us prosperity? Is it simply a way to to gain social prestige? Or do we still remember that its purpose is to instill in us values of faith, kindness and a way to lead us to a better, moral life through the teachings of historical enlightened figures?
