Bhubaneswar: A young woman, Deeptilata Mohanty, of Sarkana village in Odisha’s Khurda district recently performed the last rites of her father, breaking the age-old Hindu tradition of only a male being allowed to light a parent’s funeral pyre.

On the tenth day, in a gesture that moved the entire village, she sat down and had her head tonsured, as a sign of purification and mourning, just as a son would. Then, with quiet dignity, she broke the ritual earthen pot, bringing the period of grief to its solemn close. ADVERTISEMENT

According to sources, Sharata Mohanty passed away on December 1. Since he had no son to light his funeral pyre, Deeptilata, with tears in her eyes and strength in her soul, stepped forward. She herself performed the mukhaagni at Swargadwar cremation ground in Puri,

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