Hindu woman performs last rites of husband

PATNA: A Hindu woman from Bihar has broken age-old Hindu traditions by performing the last rites of her husband, a ritual usually done by male members of the family, describing him as her dearest friend.

Geetu Avinash, in her 50s, on Sunday performed the 'shradh ceremony' (ritual performed after a death) of her husband Avinash Kumar at Ara, about 60 km from here.

Kumar died of cancer July 10 in a Kolkata hospital. Geetu lit the pyre of her husband in Kolkata in the presence of her brothers-in-law, their sons and other relatives.

"I performed the last rites of my husband because of my love for him," she told on Sunday. She said her relationship with Avinash was more than a "husband-wife relationship". "We were more like true friends."

She also placed a copy of the book "Train to Pakistan", authored by Khushwant Singh, at the 'shradh ceremony' in place of religious books.

"Avinash wanted to read the book when he was battling cancer but I could not fulfil his last wish as the book was not available," she said.

After performing the last rites in Kolkata, she returned to Ara to perform all other rituals.

"I performed all the rituals to show the world that a woman can do everything," she said.