Villagers strip boy naked, parade him in hope of better rains
Boy stripped naked and paraded in the village in Karnataka
Local Press Co 5-point Snippet
1. In a shocking incident, a young boy was stripped naked and paraded in the entire village in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district to appease the rain god.
2. The ritual is believed to be an age-old tradition practised by the villagers to appease the rain gods. Since the area has been receiving scanty rainfall over the last few years, the villagers decided to revive the tradition.
3. After the boy was stripped naked, the villagers applied a red colour on his forehead and adorned him with flowers. Then, they made him carry an idol of Ganesha and instructed him to walk in the village. The villagers followed him by beating drums and chanting hymns.
4. While most of the villagers were in support of the tradition and participated in it, some believed that it is nothing more than superstition and must be abolished. They were even ready to take a legal action and ensure that the ritual is stopped, but were outpowered by those who were in support of it.
5. Chitradurga has been one of the worst drought-affected districts of Karnataka. The condition of the district is so bad that even drinking water has to be supplied to the residents via water tankers for months. The residents are hoping for a better monsoon this year.
