There are certain topics that really get under my skin when I have to write about them. ‘Baby throwing tradition’ is definitely at the top of that list. This bizarre ritual is followed by both hindus and muslims in Maharashtra and Karnataka, where they actually pick up an infant and drop it from the top floor or a balcony of a building. Insanity doesn’t begin to describe this practice.
Apparently this custom has been around for more than 700 years. Can you imagine that? A child, almost 2-years old, screaming and wailing, is dropped from several meters above and about 15 men stand right below with a blanket to break the baby’s fall. I repeat…a blanket!
Just as the infant lands on the blanket, the baby is then caught by the ‘patiently’ waiting men who then hand the child over to its mother.
This is not a Photoshopped image.
This one will most definitely make your skin crawl.
This bizarre ‘ritual’ is also followed in Baba Umer Dargah near Sholapur, Maharashtra. In spite of bans implemented on this tradition, and protests by many child rights’ activists, incidents of baby throwing can be heard of in a few villages in both states. Although, it is a rare and unusual ritual, not all villages in India practice it, some remote areas either have a history of still practicing it or still following the bizarre tradition to some extent.
Check out this horrifying video, shot in the village of Harangal, Maharashtra.
A priest, right after chanting verses, throws the little child into the air, to be caught by the villagers below.
The logic behind it, you ask?
None, apparently. Throwing a baby off the terrace of a building is supposed to bring you good luck and fortune. Yeah, don’t ask. We’re just as surprised as you are.
One mistake like missing a catch or even a head injury can cost the child its life! Even though it’s rare, a complete abolishing of the practice is absolutely necessary for the country to grow and prosper.
Masthead image source: karnaval| Feature image source: pda.vietbao