In 1987, a woman performed sati at Deorala, a town in Rajasthan. The episode raised a hue and cry all over the country. But the most horrifying part was the multitudes of people who had journeyed to the site, loudly proclaiming ‘Hail Sati Mata’, despite the ban on this horrendous practice. For these masses, a woman giving away her life along with her spouse’s corpse was a matter of pride and much more important than her fundamental dignity as a human being. This is a burning example of the mental slavery created by superstition.
