JOIN USBut, in Uttar Pradesh's Hardoi district, a youth took such a drastic step, only to save his terminally ill mother.
Twenty five-year-old Sonu Singh, a resident of Lewal village in the district, tried to sever his head before the local deity in the village temple on Thursday with a knife and, in the process, got seriously wounded.
He has been admitted to the district hospital, where he is battling for life.
Sonu's mother had been suffering from liver cancer and the doctors had told Sonu that she would not live for long. Sonu, who, according to his family members, was disappointed to know that his mother would soon leave him forever.
“Sonu had taken his mother to Lucknow for getting her to cancer specialists a few days ago and had returned home on Wednesday after the doctors made it clear that her illness could not be cured and that her days were numbered,” said Rajpal Singh, Sonu's father.
Sonu, a deeply religious man, spent a sleepless night on Wednesday.
“At dawn on Thursday, he went to the local temple in the village keeping the family members in the dark,” he said. The temple priest later found him lying in a pool of blood before the deity. “Perhaps he hoped for a miracle and thought the goddess would be pleased by his sacrifice and save his mother,” Singh said.
Sonu's act may be an instance of the prevailing superstitions and ignorance yet it shows certainly his deep love for his mother, something rarely seen these days.