Ludhiana: Challenging traditional customs and highlighting the importance of gender equality, two daughters-in-law in Ludhiana shouldered the bier of their mother-in-law, Sukhdev Kaur, during her final journey on Friday.
Sukhdev Kaur passed away on Thursday. As per her family’s wishes, her body was transported by ambulance to Harmony Ayurveda College and Hospital in Ferozepur for medical research.
Her two sons, along with their wives, carried the body for a few metres before placing it in the ambulance. The family said they had pledged around a decade ago to donate Sukhdev Kaur’s body for medical research. Her eyes were separately donated to an eye specialist, Dr Ramesh.
A video showing the two daughters-in-law shouldering the bier has gone viral on social media and has received widespread appreciation.
Mother had expressed her wish
Yadvinder Singh, a bank employee and one of Sukhdev Kaur’s sons, said his mother had expressed her wish during her lifetime that her two daughters-in-law should take the lead in performing her final rites.
“Our mother had specifically told our wives that they would come forward and shoulder her bier, while her sons would remain behind. Our dera teaches us to give daughters and sisters an equal status in society,” he said.
