PUNE, INDIA, December 30, 2008: An institute in Pune is offering women a one-year course to train them to become purohitas, female priests. The response so far has been quite encouraging. “Seventy per cent of our batch comprises women, most of them housewives, who are doing this course to do a job of a purohita,” said Arya Joshi, Senior Instructor, Jnana Prabodhini, Pune. Swati Divekar, a qualified teacher of Japanese and French has enrolled because she wants a change in profession. “We do all the rituals with sincerity. We also explain to them what we are doing, and we are not in a hurry,” said Swati Divekar. About 19 pujas and samsakaaras are taught as part of the course. All of them are performed as per Vedic rituals.
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