Read the following extract (Sources 1 and 4) answer the questions that follow:
“We first tie them down to the pile”
Rammohun Roy published many pamphlets to spread his ideas. Some of these were written as a dialogue between the advocate and critic of a traditional practice. Here is one such dialogue on sati:
An advocate of Sati:
Women are by nature of inferior understanding, without resolution, unworthy of trust … Many of them, on the death of their husbands, become desirous of accompanying them; but to remove every chance of their trying to escape from the blazing fire, in burning them we first tie them down to the pile.
Opponent of Sati:
When did you ever afford them a fair opportunity of exhibiting their natural capacity? How then can you accuse them of want of understanding? If, after instruction in knowledge and wisdom, a person cannot comprehend or retain what has been taught him, we may consider him as deficient; but if you do not educate women how can you see them as inferior.
(a) What notions did the society have in favour of the practice of sati?
(b) What arguments did the reformers put against the practice of sati?
(a) The society believed women to be of inferior understanding without resolution and unworthy of trust. So, she was not allowed to live without her husband. Therefore, she was forced to be inflamed with the body of her husband after his death.
(b) The reformers accused the society of not recognising women’s potentialities. They said that the society had never bothered to educate women and had always neglected them. So, it was quite unjustified to call them inferior and untrustworthy.