The Importance Of Taboos In Society

Lord Shiva and Parvati were gifted with a golden fruit to be eaten by only one person. The golden fruit was golden mango of knowledge. Whoever eats it will be granted eternal knowledge and wisdom. They decided to give it to their sons and a quest was given to them, whoever takes 3 rounds of the universe will be granted this fruit. Kartiyeka mounted on his peacock and went ahead for the quest while Ganesha took 3 rounds of his parents communicating the value that his parents are his universe. A story of Ganesh’s travel around the world showcases a great example of how a story forms a societal norm. This is a story that was told by my grandparents to embody the norms of being culturally appropriate towards my parents. It was to teach a lesson of values that one must have to persist in a society.

Similarly, throughout ages, history has been feeding us with myths that in turn have created a culture of norms. These norms construct a society where religion and traditions form taboos. Taboos are often defined as ‘social or religious custom prohibiting or restricting a particular practice or forbidding association with a particular person, place, or thing.’ In my life, I have faced about hundreds of taboos but as a woman, the number is much higher. The taboos never made sense to me as I never found logic in it and rarely did I understand its origin.

It would wrong of me to say that the amount of taboos that existed 10 years back are still prevailing. The world is changing,