I am surprised ! You know about Sati ? :)
India is a heavily patriarchal society. :) . Yes, customs can be weird. :)
Patriarchal customs everywhere in the world are oppressive and egoistic.
The aim of patriarch philosophy is to subjugate. They are in my opinion, against the laws of the Universe.
Patriarchal Customs based on control, conquering, enslavement, oppression, appeasement of ego, objectification and abuse, has created the disharmony, imbalance and chaos we see around at micro and macro levels .

Great to hear from you, @photo-deja-vu . And it is intriguing that you know so much about India :)