Mysuru: Breaking the shackles of norms and tradition, a daughter shaved her head to perform the funeral rites of her father at Ketupura village in T Narasipura on Tuesday, December 22.
As per the Hindu tradition, the elder son gets himself tonsured (the act of cutting the hair or shaving the head) after the father’s demise and after the mother’s death younger son shaves his head mourning the death of his mother.
In this case, as the parents had no sons, the daughter herself performed the duty and challenged the age-old tradition.
Kanika Parameshwari is the woman who countered the tradition. Born to Puttaswamygowda (62) and Nagaratna, Kanika is the only child. The couple looked after their daughter with love and care.
On December 11, Puttaswamy Gowda is said to have died due to illness and the final rites were performed by his daughter herself.
Kanika, speaking to the media said that it was her aunt who encouraged her to perform the duty by breaking customs. “Man and woman are equal and there should be no discrimination”, she said.