Auraiya: In a deeply moving incident from Uttar Pradesh’s Auraiya district, a 65-year-old man has decided to perform his own ‘terahvi’ ritual while still alive, reflecting the quiet despair of a life marked by loss and loneliness.
Rakesh Yadav, a resident of Laxmanpur village, has organised a community feast on Monday, inviting nearly 1,900 people from nearby villages as part of what he calls his own ‘terahvi’ ceremony. Unmarried and living alone, Yadav says the decision comes from a growing fear that there will be no one left to perform his last rites after his death.
The eldest among three brothers, Yadav has endured personal tragedies that have left him emotionally isolated. His younger brother Chandrapal Yadav died after a prolonged illness, while another brother, Naresh Yadav, was murdered. None of the three brothers ever married. Though he has a married sister, she lives with her own family.
“At this stage of life, there is no one to stand by me,” Yadav said, speaking quietly outside his modest dwelling. “I kept thinking about what would happen after I am gone. Who would perform the rituals? That thought stayed with me.”
Over time, the anxiety turned into a decision. Yadav printed and distributed invitation cards across villages, asking people to attend the feast. For him, it is not just a ritual but a way to ensure that his existence is acknowledged in the same manner as others in the community.
Villagers say the news has sparked intense discussion across the area. Some see it as a heartbreaking reflection of his loneliness, while others describe it as an unusual but deeply personal choice.
Yadav clarified that the ceremony will be limited to a community meal and will not include rituals such as pind daan. “It will only be a feast. Nothing more,” he said.
He now lives in a small makeshift hut, having already donated his ancestral house to a relative. Despite having extended family, Yadav says he does not have faith that anyone will take responsibility for his care in old age or perform rituals after his death.
“My sister has her own family. She has children. I do not want to burden anyone,” he said. “I have relatives, but I cannot rely on them.”
For years, Yadav attended similar feasts in the village when others passed away. He says the thought that his own ‘terahvi’ might never take place troubled him deeply. “I have always gone when others called. I felt my turn should also come, even if I have to arrange it myself,” he added.
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Yadav survives on an old-age pension and savings accumulated over years of daily wage labour. It is this modest pool of savings that he is now spending on the feast for nearly 1,900 people.
In Laxmanpur, the event became more than just a ritual. It has turned into a stark reminder of the silent struggles faced by many elderly people who live alone, often without emotional or social support.
On Monday, when villagers gathered to share a meal, the occasion carried both the warmth of community and the weight of a man’s unspoken fears about being forgotten.
