How old were you when you first heard 'Hey I'm no Sati-Savitri okay don't expect ...from me' or 'Why are you acting like such a Sati-Savitri,come on!'?? I was 10 when I heard some older girls,women saying this to mock & poke fun at each other-using "Sati-Savitri" as an insult. 1/

Today the festival of Vat-purnima was celebrated in Maharashtra. Married ladies (I know couples where both the husband & wife fast) fast for a day & pray for a prosperous,long & a healthy married life for the couple; for abundance & overall success & happiness of the family. 2/

I was 14 when I actually read the story of Savitri & Satyawan;it moved me to tears. Savitri, a woman who chose to marry a man despite forewarnings & doubts cast over longevity of his lifespan;with sheer indomitable will & perseverance fought relentlessly with Yama-dev himself! 3/

A woman who with her grit & ingenuity interceded & succeeded in fighting for her husband's life, lost glory of her in-laws & for progeny from the God of death himself! This is one of the greatest love stories I have ever read! I realised that Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet or 4/

Portia & Bassanio from 'Merchant of Venice' are taught in our schools with pride as greatest (love) stories & works of literature ever written & are also cited & quoted often in real life. The stories of Savitri-Satyawan,Nala-Damayanti,Aja-Indumati etc are never taught to us 5/

Neither are they ever referenced as romantic ideals in real life by people. While all works carry their own beauty & readers are free to like/dislike the same;why is it that Shakespeare's works are glorified & stories from our history as used as analogies to chastise & mock? 6/

The Vat-purnima puja is performed by offering prayers & circumambulating around a Banyan tree because it was under a banyan tree where Savitri won her husband's life & her family's glory back from Yama-dev! Ever since I read this story from our history I swore to never use/try 7/

my best to prevent Sati-Savitri being used as a term of mockery. In fact, this in my mind is one of the best love stories I have ever read & I look forward to upholding the tradition of celebrating this festival alongwith my future husband in memory of Savitri & Satyawan. (/8)