The minister of Woman and Child Development for Madhya Pradesh apparently participated in a frog wedding, to appease the rain gods. The minister even said to the media, “We have prayed to god for rain in drought-hit Bundelkhand region and for the welfare of our farmers.”
As per a report in The Times of India, an animal rights group from Haryana has lodged a complaint with Madhya Pradesh police seeking FIR against the said minister for organising a wedding of two frogs at a temple in Chhatarpur, calling it an act of cruelty. Whether or not she organised the wedding is unclear as of yet. However, as the photographs and the statement to press proves, the minister was present at the “venue” of the marriage.
Superstitions like these are very common in most parts of India, especially in villages or small towns.
In the present times when the focus should be on increasing water conservation, it seems to be a poor choice to rather spend your time and energy marrying off unsuspecting frogs.
There is no running away from superstitions in our country. From the concept of nazar to frog nuptials, these little and big superstitious beliefs are so entwined in our daily lives, that they are now an inseparable part of our society. But most of these practices aren’t just misleading, they also lead to wastage of valuable resources.
Take this frog wedding for instance. This event in Chhatarpur was attended by hundreds of people. The “ceremony” was solemnised by a priest amidst much fanfare. Wouldn’t such an event cost money? Couldn’t that money be used to provide water to drought-hit areas? I know how desperate situations get amidst a drought. I have lived through one year like this in Madhya Pradesh some years ago. However, it is the residents of remote villages and poor farmers who suffer the most. Many times sufferers turn to superstitious practices for some respite. It is in these times when ministers and politicians must think of ways to provide them relief, and not marry off amphibians in the name of appeasing the gods.
It is the duty of the ministers to endorse water conservation. They should create awareness among common folks about proper utilisation of water, global warming and hazardous effects of deforestation.
Today, we stand on the verge of having more dry spells during the summers than ever. If we want to leave a life-sustaining planet for our future generations, then we must spend more time and energy in correcting our communal and individual lifestyles, than in executing unproved superstitious beliefs. We can go ahead and marry off frogs, but if we don’t correct the way we treat our planet, things will only keep getting worse.
Picture Credit: culturaloddities.com
Also Read : Are Our Female Politicians Failing to Stand Up for Us?
Yamini Pustake Bhalerao is a writer with the SheThePeople team, in the Opinions section. The views expressed are author’s own.
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