I was struggling to keep my eyes open when a phone call awakened me. It was from my African friend who wanted to know about "kumari" the living goddess. Surprised by her curiosity I asked the reason and she directed me to yahoo. Yahoo had featured the story of kumari that day and of course everyone here in US was surprised to know that there is a living goddess. However after knowing the details starting from selection process till the day she is finally returned there were just more questions coming up. What is considered culture in Nepal is considered violation of child rights in US.  My friend asked me if I supported the culture and to be honest I didn't know if I did or not.  I moved away saying since "I don't know what exactly happens in kumari ghar hence I am not the right person to comment". However the question still bothered me.  Is it really violation of child rights? How can a girl who was raised as a goddess suddenly live a mortal life? Are these girls facing psychological problems? Do they have same development as other kids who go to school and socialize? Or are they real goddesses who achieve everything just by performing the rituals??

My questions remain with me