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| India-Pakistan |
| Seven-year-old Agra girl fasts for rains |
| 2006-08-21 |
| A seven-year-old Muslim girl who had begun a fast 10 days ago in Agra to appease the rain gods was forced to break her fast with some fluids and made to eat fruit. But she is continuing to deny herself food. Parveen, who hails from a poor peasant family in Jaunai village, in Saiyan block along the Agra-Gwalior road, was made to break her fast on Sunday evening on the 10th day. She was given an oral re-hydration solution and given some bananas. Shatrughan Singh, sub-divisional magistrate of Kheragarh, and some officers persuaded Parveen's parents and got her to break the fast. But she resumed her fast, saying until the rain gods obliged she would not eat. Many areas in western Uttar Pradesh have received less then 50 percent rainfall this year. Her fast has inspired hundreds of people to join her in prayers and bhajans (devotional songs). Parveen's family, which includes her five brothers and sisters, says that she is determined to starve herself until "Lord Indra smiles" and ensures rainfall. "Her tapasya (meditation) will not go in vain," say villagers, worried over the scanty rainfall in some districts of western Uttar Pradesh. Appeasing the rain gods until Lord Indra smiles doesn't exactly seem like traditional Islam; and to allow an 8 year old child to go through this . . . Perhaps Cindy Sheehan and some of her Hollywood pals should enlighten this village about appeasement through rolling fasts. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #3 Perhaps its in the form of Jamba Juice? |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2006-08-21 11:22 |
| #2 fruit isn't food? |
| Posted by: Ebbilet Throluger9695 2006-08-21 11:04 |
| #1 Her fast has inspired hundreds of people to join her in prayers and bhajans (devotional songs)......... It's all a second order effect of Global Warming. I blame Bush. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-08-21 09:28 |