Saturday, August 29, 2009
Group C Researcher
Researcher: Your job is to find some background information related to an important idea in the reading. Search through available references such as library books, reference books such as the encyclopedia, magazines. You might even interview someone who knows about your topic. Find some websites on the Internet so that you can do your investigation online. Share an interesting tidbit related to your reading.Please respond to each others' Research entry.
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Venkatraman spends a significant amount of time dealing with the issue of arranged marriages. I am not very familiar with exactlty how these marriages occur, so I decided to research this topic. I used the internet as my resource and searched many different sites. One of the ones I found most helpful was http://.pardesiservices.com/tradition/arrangedmarg.asp. This site provided a brief, yet accurate description of these marriages. I learned that because marriage is such a big decision and divorce is not accepted that the family is involved in the decision making process. An interview occurs where pictures and data are exchanged. Often times the bride and groom would not see each other until the wedding day. This has changed a little and under supervision they can now meet prior to the wedding. If they do not get along, then usually the wedding doesn't occur. The dowry system is often looked at as a negative, it really is used as a way to help the bride if something were to happen to the husband. Usually the dowry will either help the bride or the entire family. The money may be used to provide food for the family or purchase big items that they may need. Overall, I found this site helpful and informative and I gained a little more insight into this culture.
ReplyDeleteKaren, I enjoyed learning more about the tradition of weddings. It is hard to imagine living in a culture where the choice is not yours when choosing your husband. I suppose the dowry idea can be helpful, and would have been helpful in Vidya's family helping to support themselves after her father's incident.
ReplyDeleteAs I read, I found myself frequently questioning the caste system as I read this book. I remembered a few things from a undergraduate class on the Indian culture, but I wanted to learn more about where if this tradition still takes place in this modern age, and if so is it still fairly common or followed in certain sections of India?
As I read through several sites online, I found that social order is still alive and followed by many citizen of India. Citizens in urban areas are more relaxed with the social castes, while rural areas focus a great deal on the castes. I also found that some states have implemented a positive discrimination, which mandates a certain percentage of jobs and openings in schools go to people from a particular lower caste. It seems as though even though the systems are not as strict as previous times, but the lower castes are still looked at as “untouchable.” Gandhi named the lowest caste the Harijan, children of god, to help accept the lowest level of the social order; this piece of the social order is still seen as dirty and not pure. Social order takes place in their culture. The following is one site where I found some information. The other national geographic is the beginning to a cover story on the caste system.
http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Talk/talk.politics.misc/2008-02/msg00137.html
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0306/feature1/index.html
To respond to arranged marriages:
ReplyDeleteWhen I was working on my undergrad I was placed in a third grade classroom. One of our students, an 8 year old girl from India, had missed three weeks to visit India and meet her future husband. Before she left she was quiet because of her insecurities related to her language limitations, but when she returned she was so sullen and so much more reserved.
I struggled with the thought that such a young girl was engaged to be married to someone half way across the world and yet respect the cultural norms outside my own. This girl had been in America since first grade, and would stay in America presumably until she was married. By the time that time came I would imagine she'd be more Americanized and perhaps not want that for herself.
Karen my friend Sumya, who's family is from Pakistan, had an arranged marriage. I remember that prior to the announcement of her marriage, she wore regular "American" clothes and appeared very independent. After she told me about her marriage, she and I spoke less frequently and she dressed more traditionally. Her attitude toward college also changed. She missed classes and didn't seem to have the enthusiasm to work toward her career in Speech and Language Disorders. After the Spring semester, she said goodbye. She never graduated from Queens College and we never spoke again. I think of her often and wonder if her life is much like amma's.
ReplyDeleteMeg, that story is incredible to me! I cannot imagine what an 8 year old girl could possibly be thinking when she is introduced to her future husband. Living in this culture, but also following another must be very difficult. I had a friend in high school who was Korean, and although she did not have an arranged marriage, her parents felt very strongly that she should only date and marry Korean men. This eventually made her uncomfortable with her family and lie to them constantly, because she was surrounded by many boys from different cultures. It is hard for me to understand why people who demand that their children marry within their culture choose to raise their children in a country where their culture is not dominant. It is only natural for children to form relationships with the people that they spend time with on a daily basis. I think it is unfair for parents to demand so much from their children.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Sarah's question about the authenticity of the events, I decided to look a little furture. It seems like life in India really was like that until 1947 (5 years after the books events ended). It was in that year that the Indian Independence Act of 1947 was passed. India was then able to self-govern themselves and not follow any laws or treaties enforced by Britain. For more info go to: http://www.indianetzone.com/14/indian_independence_act_1947.htm
ReplyDeleteVidya's brother Kitta was obsessed with the war in Europe and Hitler in the book. I thought it was interesting how the symbol of the swastika has conflicting messages in the traditions of the characters and the Nazis. I wondered if Venkatraman used the 1940's as her backdrop for this story to show that the swastika is really a positive ancient symbol.
ReplyDeleteI read several sites, www.luckymojo.com, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org, www.britannica.com, and www.history1900s.about.com/cs/swastika/a/swastikahistory.htm, and learned that the swastika is over 3,000 years old and used by many cultures. Prior to WWII and Hitler, the swastika represented life, power, sun, strength, and good luck. It is also the oldest cross emblem. the cross forms 4 L's which represent Luck, Life, Love, and Light. The Chinese and Japanese cultures used it to represent prosperity and long life.
The meaning of the swastika changed in the 1800's when German nationalists discovered that the symbol was Aryan/Indian and was a representaion of Germanic/Aryan history. Hitler described the Nazi flag in Mein Kampf. His description explained that the red symbolized the social idea of the Nazi movement, the white the nationalist idea, and the swastika the struggle for the victory of Aryan man. He also made no apologies for it becoming the symbol for antisemitism.
I think it's interesting how one individual was able to take a positive religious Buddist and Hindu symbol and turn it into something that today has the negative representations of hate and death associated with it. I continue to wonder, did Venkatraman use this time period on purpose to teach readers that the true meaning of the swastika is a positive one? Something I will have to ask her about.
Sarah
ReplyDeleteI was interested in learning more about the caste system to see how it is today. In an article on the Internet from telegraph.co.uk, Peter Foster wrote that although caste dicrimation was outlawed 50 years ago, it still exists.
The article said there are 165, 000,000 low-caste Hindus and they continue to face discrimation in all venues including home, school , workplace etc. The article also said most of the time there is not justice for the victim.
ReplyDeleteHow sad it is that in today's society, people are still looked down upon. When I watched the movie "Slum dog Millionaire," I was shocked to see how the main character and the people in his town lived. I thought it was all for the effect of the movie until a friend of mine traveled to India on business. He showed me pictures of people living in make shift homes, washing their clothes and drinking the same water people use to urinate and deficate in. He said that it was made very clear to him who he should associate with and who on the street he should avoid. It appears that the caste system is alive and continuing in India.
ReplyDelete