THE BS NEWS QUIZ OF THE DAY
Yesterday, I asked...
"11-year-old Sajani Shakya from Nepal is retiring early from her position as what?"
15% said "A Bollywood star"
- She's the Dakota Fanning of India.
10% said "Top Girl Scout Cookie Seller"
- Mmmm, try the samosas. Peas, carrots, potatoes and chocolate mint.
No one went for "A TV spokesperson"
75% got it right with "A living goddess"
According to the BBC, a young girl worshipped in Nepal as a living goddess has retired early from this ritual status. Eleven-year-old Sajani Shakya is one of the three most revered living goddesses or Kumaris. For centuries the three major cities of the Kathmandu valley and a few smaller towns have upheld a unique tradition whereby a girl is chosen in infancy to be a Kumari. To become a living goddess she has to pass ritual tests and have 32 beautiful physical attributes. She will then live in a special house and be worshipped by both Buddhists and Hindus, including the king of Nepal, until the onset of her menstruation. That is deemed to make her human, so she retires.
A lot of people think that last part really messes them up. "You're special til you start bleeding. No more worship for you!" But it's really that goddess competition in infancy that screws with them. The pressure to have 32 beautiful attributes."Sorry, your baby only has 31 beautiful attributes. Her thighs are too pudgy for a goddess." The swimsuit competition is brutal. The baby losers usually go into these horrendous shame spirals - throwing their ba-bas at the TV whenever the winning goddess appears.
