This Custom in Certain Areas of Tamil Nadu Involves Killing Elderly Family Members Out of Mercy

India’s diverse culture, with customs and traditions unique to each state, has earned it the moniker “country of diversity.” Certain practices could cause some people to scoff, especially those practiced in the nation’s rural, rustic heartland. Thalaikoothal is one such tradition that originated in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is the common practice of involuntarily murdering the elderly, a practice known as senicide. In a few regions of Tamil Nadu’s south, it is performed by family members. According to this custom, old individuals who are in a coma or are close to death are executed as a supposedly kind gesture. First thing in the morning, the elderly are usually given a long oil bath and made to drink glasses of soft coconut water. This causes renal failure, a fever, convulsions, and death within a day or two.

This therapy may also include a head massage with cold water, which has the ability to adequately lower body temperature and cause heart failure. Poisons and pushing cow’s milk into the nose when it’s blocked are two other methods that cause respiratory issues. We refer to this as milk treatment.On occasion, they are also given water that has been contaminated with dirt, which harms their stomachs and weakens their bodies even more.

Although Thalaikoothal is illegal in India, it is often seen as a kind of compassionate killing, and very few people report it to the police. More serious abuse may sometimes result from social acceptance. The practice gained more notoriety in 2010 when an 80-year-old man, hearing his family members debating how to split his property and knowing of his planned demise, escaped to a relative’s home. It’s said that families that are too poor or disadvantaged to care for their elderly loved ones are the ones who choose Thalaikoothal the most.