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entered a big pyre burning themselves to death, while the men folk braved themselves to death fighting the enemy. The pyre, witness to two more incidents of 'jauhar' during the next three centuries, exists there even today, and is one of the major tourist attractions.

The story of jauhar of Padmini (also called Padmavati) inspired French composer Albert Roussel to write his opera "Padmavati", when he visited the site in 1909.

Perhaps the major distinction between Sati and jauhar is that while the former indicates the incredible love and devotion of the wife for her husband, jauhar is a courageous preference for honor over rape and molestation at the hands of enemies.

SATI TEMPLES IN INDIA & the LAWS THAT BAN EVEN THOSE TEMPLES

Most incidents of Sati, about a hundred or so, during the ages since the legend of original Sati, have been marked by temples around which annual fair and festivities used to be held in reverence of those women, whose stories formed legends and became glorified in the process. However, the last of these incidents, in which Roop Kanwar, a young eighteen years old widow, jumped into the pyre of her husband on September 4 1987 created such an outrage in the country that the Government was forced to ban all activities glorifying the 'Sati' in any form. Laws were enacted making any glorification of 'Sati' a crime punishable with imprisonment. A number of people accused of being present during Roop Kanwar's self immolation were subsequently criminally charged and prosecuted, but released after proceedings that lasted many years.

ONE THIRTY YEAR OLD INCIDENT THAT STILL ECHOES ACROSS THE WORLD

I still remember listening to BBC on that night of September 4, where around 11 minutes of a 15 minute global news bulletin were dedicated to the details of the self immolation of Roop Kanwar. Though I am absolutely in agreement with all those who propose anything to prevent any repeat of such an incident, there are things I have never been able to understand. India was a country of over 800 million people in 1987. It is not devoid of crime, nor is it devoid of strange and incredible activities in every sphere of life. A country, with its long-lasting traditions, cultural diversity, varying and exotic religious and cultural practices, and innumerable incredible aspects - both real and imagined, has never been able to attract so much attention of the world, as it did on that day. If there is any rational explanation for this, apart from the hunger of media men

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