NEW DELHI, August 7 – RIA Novosti. Russians, as a rule, learn about the life and position of women in Indian society from films from Bollywood classics, in which cheerful beauties in bright saris (traditional women's clothing in India) sing and dance to the enthusiastic rejoicing of men. Meanwhile, the real picture is not at all encouraging - according to a recent survey conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, India took first place in the list of the most dangerous countries for women in the world, displacing Afghanistan, Syria and Saudi Arabia.
A study shows that every hour about 40 crimes are committed against the fair sex in India. In a sense, this is a paradox, since in no other country in South Asia (or in Asia as a whole) do women play such a prominent role in political and public life. At the same time, deep patriarchal roots, the numerical superiority of the male population and a number of flaws in the judicial and legal system of India are the reasons why women here become victims of crimes every day, primarily on sexual grounds.
What women have to face in modern India - in the material of RIA Novosti.
The Legend of Sati
Hindu mythology is replete with bright and strong female images, which for many years determined the canons of behavior for girls in this South Asian country. The images of faithful wives created in ancient times, ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of their husbands, are still revered in India.
One of these images, undoubtedly, is Sati - an avatar (reincarnation) of Shiva's wife - the goddess Parvati. As the ancient epic "Mahabharata" tells us, Sati threw herself into the fire and burned alive when she failed to become the wife of God so that her cherished dream would come true in her next life.
The same word later came to refer to the ancient Hindu custom of self-immolation of widows on the funeral pyres of their husbands. The emergence of the ritual “sati” (literally “virtuous” - ed.) dates back to the beginning of the 1st millennium BC, and it became widespread already in the first centuries of the new era. In the late Middle Ages, there were even recorded cases of mass self-immolation of women who preferred to die rather than be captured by their enemies.
Voluntarily following her husband to the funeral pyre was considered a sign of the highest piety and marital fidelity of a Hindu woman, especially from the upper castes. Self-immolation, although not an essential duty, “grants a woman the same number of years of heavenly bliss as there are (according to traditional beliefs - ed.) hairs on the body - 35 million.” The living widow faced an unenviable fate - according to some sources, she was obliged to wear mourning clothes for the rest of her days, sleep on the floor and eat once a day. The woman could not marry a second time - moreover, even say the name of another man.
Many ancient customs are dying out in India with great difficulty, especially in the rural part. Therefore, despite the fact that sati was legally prohibited in India by the British back in the 19th century, cases of this ritual still occur, leading to the construction of sanctuaries at the site of burning and the emergence of corresponding cults. One of the high-profile episodes on this topic occurred in 2005 - then about 10 thousand people gathered in one of the villages near Ajmer (Rajasthan) to watch self-immolation. When the police intervened in the case and arrested both the woman herself and her relatives, dissatisfied citizens began to beat the law enforcement officers for what they considered unacceptable interference.
Femicide and Dauri
Important factors that largely determined the appearance of modern India were female infanticide (the killing of female infants) and prenatal sex selection, which have been practiced here for centuries and, despite the formal ban, continue to exist today. There are many reasons for these two phenomena: general poverty, the need for hard physical labor, and the ancient custom of Dauri, which obliges the bride's family to pay the groom's family, as well as cover all expenses associated with the wedding. A wedding, by the way, often turns into a heavy burden for the bride’s parents, and in order to marry off their daughters, the head of the family has to take on unpayable debts.
It is noteworthy that this state of affairs became a characteristic feature of later times. In ancient times in India there was a more widespread custom in which the groom paid the father of his beloved a marriage price. There were often cases when the family of a young man had to pay this ransom in installments, and the debt obligation fell on the shoulders not of the groom himself, but of his father.
The Dauri system in its current form promotes the idea that men are more valuable members of society and have inherent privileges. In practice, it looks like this: even before the official engagement, two families make a list, which, in addition to expenses for the wedding and accompanying rituals, usually includes real estate, cars, precious jewelry, household appliances, gifts for relatives and dear guests, and so on. Accordingly, if anything from this list is not submitted on time, the wedding may be disrupted at any time, including immediately at the time of its holding. In this regard, there are known cases when girls went straight from an upset wedding to the police, demanding that the groom’s family return the dauri after the failed marriage.
The huge costs associated with marrying off daughters are one of the main causes of female infanticide in India, mainly in rural areas. According to official data, only recently 21 million girls were born in the country who turned out to be unnecessary for their parents. The authorities tried to solve this problem in different ways, passing laws to protect children at both the federal and regional levels. However, despite the efforts made, femicide has had a significant impact on the demographic situation, and today in India of 1.3 billion, there are 100 girls born for every 110 boys born. To eradicate selective abortion, the government has banned doctors from telling parents the sex of their unborn child until after birth, but many underground clinics still allow this. On average, such a procedure today costs about $100 (6-7 thousand rupees).
Talking about equality and the Nirbhaya case
India: Hundreds of women intend to break into a temple closed to themFor about 500 years, women were prohibited from approaching the temple dedicated to the deity Shani in the state of Maharashtra. Only men are allowed to enter it.Although the problem of imbalance in the social status of men and women has been relevant in India for many years, discussions about gender equality in the “world's largest democracy” are a relatively recent phenomenon. And, as in any country with deep patriarchal traditions, the ideas of gender equality meet with great resistance here. Thus, India has not yet adopted a separate law prohibiting domestic violence. But women's vulnerable situation is not limited to the family: every day they face harassment on public transport, obscene comments on the street and harassment at work.
In recent years, however, there have been changes in a positive direction: politicians, including many women, pop stars, popular journalists and bloggers, are increasingly talking about sexism in India. This trend was also picked up by Bollywood, which, as we know, reigns supreme in the minds and hearts of Indians of all ages. The 2016 film “Pink,” directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, became a sensation in this regard. It tells the story of three girls from New Delhi who met three young men at a concert who then tried to rape them, and the legal battle that followed. This film raises such an acute problem for Indian society as victim blaming, and calls for respect for women's rights.
The events of 2012, when India learned of the horrific gang rape of student Jyoti Singh Pandey in New Delhi, made a significant contribution to the development of public debate on this topic. Due to the fact that the girl’s name was not revealed for a long time, she received the pseudonym “Nirbaya” in the local press. On December 16, 23-year-old Jyoti, who was undergoing internship training, was returning from the cinema with her friend. The young people boarded the bus, where in addition to the driver there were five more men, all of them intoxicated. They beat the girl and her companion with an iron rod, after which they raped Pandey with particular cruelty, and then threw both of them out of the car at full speed onto the road. Jyoti was rushed to hospital in critical condition. She underwent several operations and, despite severe injuries, gave statements to the police. On December 26, the girl was transported to Singapore, where doctors fought for her life for another three days. It was not possible to save the student: she died on December 29.
The Nirbhaya case received great publicity and provoked unprecedented reactions both within India and abroad. A wave of demonstrations swept through New Delhi and other cities of the country, and the rapists themselves were arrested and, after a lengthy trial, sentenced to death. The world media covered the protests and the progress of the investigation into the crime in detail, dubbing the deceased the “Daughter of India.” It is curious that a foreign publication was the first to name the girl, since India itself has a ban on disclosing information about rape victims. In January 2013, the 53-year-old father of the deceased told the Sunday People what her name was. He stressed that revealing her name "will give courage to other women who have been victims of sexual violence." Later, however, he denied that he had told the publication his daughter’s name.
In 2012, under public pressure, India adopted new legal regulations that toughen penalties for sex crimes. After the murder of Jyoti Singh Pandey and a number of other high-profile cases, Indians began to openly demand a response from the authorities. However, many politicians not only refused to acknowledge the seriousness of the existing problem, but, on the contrary, blamed the victims of violence themselves for what happened.
“Boys will always be boys... They make mistakes. Is it really necessary to hang them for this?” said member of the Indian Parliament Mulayam Singh Yadav, commenting on the demands for capital punishment against those responsible in the Nirbhaya case. His words, despite the wild meaning, were favorably received by a number of other politicians.
In the vast majority of cases, victims of violence in India do not contact the police. This is partly because corruption prevents many cases from reaching trial. In addition, the victims themselves are often subjected to humiliation, since part of the population believes that in some cases violence against a woman “can be justified.”
Being a foreigner doesn't mean "safe"
The tragic death of Nirbhaya gave impetus to the beginning of a serious debate about the status of women in India, but the problem remains unresolved. Authorities try to combat sex crimes in a variety of ways, including isolating potential abusers from potential victims. For example, today every Delhi Metro train has a special carriage for women. In addition, there are some police stations (including those at New Delhi University) that are fully staffed by women police officers. Despite these steps, the number of crimes is not decreasing, and many of them are particularly cruel. For this reason, many women in the country try not to go out on the streets alone after sunset.
One of the Russian women, who worked for several years in the state of Rajasthan and wished to remain anonymous, told RIA Novosti about her experience living in India, as well as ways to avoid harassment from men in this country.
“Perhaps the first thing that should be warned about all compatriots arriving here is that it is absolutely impossible to avoid male attention here. Regardless of your upbringing and behavior, due to the stereotypes about “white” women inherent in Indian society, you will almost inevitably be considered frivolous and accessible. You should, if possible, move around the country, especially in non-tourist areas, only accompanied by a man, your clothing should be extremely closed. Of course, there can be no question of any night walks in the company of strangers or unfamiliar Indians - this is the easiest way to get yourself into trouble,” the girl said.
According to her, victims of sex crimes in India are most often Indian women, not visitors. The latter, the interlocutor claims, even if they live here for a long time, feel safer. “This does not mean that you are less likely to be a victim of harassment. On the contrary. When I first arrived in the country, every morning looked pretty much the same to me: I walked to work, and not a day went by without being stopped by Indians and didn’t ask the same questions: “Do you have a boyfriend?” “Can I be your boyfriend?” - that’s how the most innocent of them sounded. Later, I simply developed the habit of not reacting to their calls on the street, since they always had the same subtext,” the Russian woman shared.
“You should understand that stories in which locals offer sex to European girls on the street or start groping them in public are far from the worst thing that can happen,” she added. The interlocutor noted how at the beginning of this year, police in the southern state of Kerala discovered the headless body of a woman who, as it later turned out, turned out to be a Latvian tourist who had disappeared a month earlier. Liga Skromene, 33, came to India for treatment for depression and soon went missing. According to the relatives of the deceased, the police laughed and said that the tourist would return soon, without taking any action, and only 10 days later they began searching for the missing woman.
“In general, if you are planning to move to India for a long time - no matter for your husband or for work - you must realize that you will have to give up many familiar things. Of course, India is very different: there are even areas where matriarchy prevails , however, these are rather exceptions. I can say about myself that by the end of the business trip I felt the desire to “nail” everyone here who gave off a greasy look. You can reasonably object and say that there are many examples of how Russian women moved to India and felt feel comfortable here. Yes, this is probably possible. But it will require a fair amount of patience from you,” the girl concluded.
We have already told you. Today we will talk about Indian women.
Beautiful girls are rarely born in India, but if this happens, they have fabulous and bewitching beauty. Plump lips, thick black hair and dark skin color are typical features of Indian women. These girls know how to highlight their beauty and individuality, and you won't confuse them with anyone else. PEOPLETALK invites you to admire the beauty of Asian women.
Aishwarya Rai (41)
One of the greatest actresses of Bollywood, who also conquered Hollywood. In 1994, an Indian girl was recognized as the most beautiful in the world. Aishwarya is the first Indian woman whose wax figure adorned the world-famous Madame Tussauds Museum. She admires her beauty herself (47). Aishwarya is married to actor Abhishek Bachchan (38), the son of the “living legend” of Indian cinema Amitabh Bachchan (72). The couple has a daughter, Aaradhya (3). She is currently the highest paid actress in India.
Freida Pinto (30)
Freida Pinto is an Indian with Portuguese roots. Many people fell in love with this beauty after her role in the Oscar-winning film “Slumdog Millionaire.” Few people know that the girl is a professional dancer, as well as one of the beauty ambassadors of the L’Oréal Paris brand.
Deepika Padukone (29)
Deepika is a successful model and actress. The girl became the face of the Indian branch of the cosmetics company Maybelline, after which she began to receive invitations from famous directors. The popularity of the young actress was brought to her by the film “Om Shanti Om”, in which her partner was the most famous Bollywood actor Shakrukh Khan (49).
Priyanka Chopra (32)
There is no arguing about Priyanka's beauty. In 2000, the actress became the winner of the Miss World competition. In addition to her acting career, she is actively involved in charity work and also takes part in programs to combat illiteracy. Despite her beauty and popularity, Priyanka has not yet started a family.
Sushmita Sen (39)
Sushmita is the first Indian girl to win the prestigious Miss Universe title in 1994. She once dreamed of becoming a journalist, but after winning a beauty contest, the girl’s life changed dramatically. A flurry of offers fell upon Sushmita, and another star lit up on the Bollywood horizon. The actress is not married, but has two adopted daughters, Renee and Alice.
Rani Mukherjee (36)
Rani was born into an acting family, and her choice of profession is not surprising. Today the actress is in great demand in Bollywood. In addition to successful acting, the girl also sings beautifully.
Esha Gupta (29)
Esha Gupta is a rising star in Bollywood. Due to her resemblance to the Hollywood actress, she was nicknamed the Indian Angelina Jolie. The sexy and incredibly glamorous actress is a regular in the famous glossy publications of India.
Katrina Kaif (30)
Probably, Katrina got such unusual beauty from a mixture of blood: her father is from Kashmir, and her mother is British. Her entire family lives in London, but in 2003 the girl went to Mumbai to conquer Bollywood. Now, as soon as an actress appears in a film, the success of the film is guaranteed.
Madhuri Dixit (47)
Madhuri Dixit is a legendary Indian actress. Her career did not start out very well, but within a few years she became one of the top movie stars in Bollywood and was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest paid actress in 2001.
Shriya Saran (32)
As a child, Shriya was seriously involved in dancing and dreamed of becoming a dancer. In 2001, she starred in the video of aspiring singer Renu Nathan, which attracted the attention of Indian filmmakers. This is how Shriya entered the world of cinema.
Juhi Chawla (47)
After the film “Towards Love” Juhi came to real fame. In 2002, she founded the film production company Red Chillies Entertainment with her husband Jai Mehta and famous actor Shahrukh Khan (49).
Lakshmi Menon (33)
Lakshmi Menon is an Indian model who has conquered the world's catwalks. Her international career began after she was spotted on the cover of an Indian magazine by Jean-Paul Gaultier himself. After that, the girl received offers from famous fashion houses such as Hermes, Max Mara, Givenchy and many others. She also posed for the Pirelli calendar in 2011, becoming the only Indian woman to receive such an honor. Despite her success, the girl continues to live in the Indian province of Goan, as she cannot stand the hustle and bustle of large cities.
Diana Penty (29)
Her debut in the film “Cocktail” did not cause much enthusiasm or praise, but with her beauty the girl won the hearts of Indian cinema lovers. The actress also became the face of the Maybelline brand.
Asin Thottumkal (29)
South Indian siren Asin Thottumkal runs an orphan school in Kerala, where she herself is from. And he allocates about 20% of his earnings to support these children. Rumor has it that the Hollywood actor (46) recorded a video greeting for Asin’s birthday, and then personally congratulated her over the phone.
Nargis Fakhri (35)
The girl owes her unusual beauty to a fiery mixture: her father is Pakistani and her mother is from the Czech Republic. Nargis Fakhri is the first Pakistani woman to compete on the famous Tyra Banks show America's Next Top Model in 2004.
Bhanurekha Ganesan (60)
Bhanurekha Ganesan, better known as Rekha, dreamed of becoming an air hostess as a child. But in order to feed her family, the girl went to work in the cinema. The actress made her debut at the age of 12, and has starred in almost 200 films throughout her career. But my personal life, alas, did not work out. Her husband Mukesh Aggarwala committed suicide. After this, Bhanurekha led a reclusive life and did not act in films.
Bipasha Basu (35)
Now it’s hard to believe that in childhood the future Bollywood star was called ugly because of his dark skin color. Nevertheless, the future actress began her career in the modeling business. The beauty was credited with an affair with the Real Madrid striker himself (29). It is interesting that Sir Paul McCartney personally praised the actress over the phone for her performance in the film “The Secret” (72).
Sheena Shahabadi (28)
Since childhood, Sheena was destined for an acting destiny - the girl was born into the family of a producer and actress. For the first time, she starred in the teenage film “Together with You,” where she met a little-known actor and, despite her parents’ ban, married him. But the marriage soon broke up, and Sheena returned home.
Amala Paul (23)
Amala's father was categorically against the girl acting in films. But today Paul is one of the ten most beautiful actresses in India, she is considered a new Bollywood star - the girl maintains this status thanks to her bright roles.
Amrita Rao (33)
Amrita Rao is not only a talented actress but also a singer. Before her film career, the girl was seriously involved in classical Indian music.
Riya Sen (34)
The Indian beauty is only 155 cm tall. Riya is now actively acting in films and advertising, but plans to get married and devote herself to children.
Choosing a marriage partner
The greatest event in India is marriage. After marriage, the life of a Hindu changes radically: youth gives way to maturity. Traditionally, the choice of a spouse depends not on the bride and groom, but on the interests of the parents. Some parents agree on the child's marriage at birth, but most agree later. In the past, the age of marriage was very low. In Rajasthan, they even arranged marriages between children under five years of age. Throughout India, it was customary to marry off girls between the ages of 8 and 12. The boys were also married early. Thus, Mahatma Gandhi and the first President of the Republic of India, Rajendra Prasad, married their peers at the age of 13. The 1921 census recorded more than 600 brides aged 1 to 12 months . Upon learning of this data, Gandhi persuaded Haar lawyer Bilas Sharda to prepare a bill to prevent early marriages. It is curious that the lawyer himself was married at the age of 9. The Sharda Law, limiting the age of marriage to 14 for girls and 18 for boys, came into force in 1929.
In 1955, India passed a law allowing marriage at age 18. In 1978, the law was amended to allow marriage for men at 21 years of age and for women at 18 years of age. These restrictions are still in effect today. However, the law is only partially observed. While members of the upper castes and the majority of urban residents abstain from early marriages in order to educate their children, the rural poor and members of the lower castes continue to engage in child marriages. By marrying off their daughters at an early age, parents thereby reduce the cost of their maintenance. The groom's family, in turn, acquires a free working unit on the farm. In large families, parents, in order to save money, try to marry all their children at the same time. According to a 2007 survey, 47% of Indian women get married before the age of 18. At the same time, 13% of women giving birth were girls 17 years or younger. Social assistance and propaganda are gradually reducing the number of early marriages, but slowly - the established traditions are strong, especially in the villages.
Orthodox Hinduism does not prohibit polygamy: polygamy was common among high castes. "Kama Sutra" (III - IV centuries) and subsequent manuals on love - "Ratirahasya" (XIII century) and "Anangaranga" (XV century), describe polygamy and even harems. The Kama Sutra advises taking a second wife in the following cases: “Another wife is taken when [the first wife] is stupid, of bad character, unhappy, does not bear children, bears only girls, or when the husband is fickle. Therefore, let her strive from the very beginning avoid this by showing devotion, good character and intelligence. If she does not give birth to children, then let herself encourage him to take another wife. And being replaced [by another], let him, to the best of his ability, try to give [the new wife] a higher position in comparison with himself ... When she is replaced by many wives, then let her unite with the one who is closer to her." Wealthy Indians often took two wives until the twentieth century. This practice ended with the passage of the Marriage Act in 1955, which prohibited polygamy.
Based on the approach to choosing a bride, India can be divided into two vast regions - the Indo-Aryan north and the Dravidian-speaking south. In the north, they are looking for marriage with families not related by blood. Consanguineous marriage is prohibited. Parents choose a bride for their son outside the village and even neighboring villages from a family of the same caste who has no blood ties with them. As a result, residents of one village enter into marriage alliances with residents of hundreds of other villages. After the wedding, the young wife finds herself in an unfamiliar house, where she knows no one. She is lonely, her family and friends are far away, and she is forced to obey the demands of her new family. In Central India, the North Indian marriage system also prevailed, but in a milder form: marriages sometimes occur in the same village and residents of neighboring villages often marry. An exchange of siblings is allowed - the groom's sister marries the bride's brother.
Unlike the northern Indo-Aryans, the Dravidian family of South India cements already established family ties through marriage. There is no division of relatives by blood or marriage. But marriages in the south take place within a limited circle of families, and all their members are blood relatives. Marriages between first cousins and even between uncles and nieces are common in the South. The main thing is that a family, giving a bride to another family, expects a return bride, if not now, then in the next generation. The purpose of such marriages is to create a small, tightly knit group of relatives. After the wedding, the young wife ends up in the house of her grandmother or aunt and feels comfortable among her loved ones. The husband is most often a cousin whom she has known since childhood. It happens, of course, that the bride leaves her circle of relatives (if there is no suitable groom among them), but even then her situation is better than in Northern India.
Finding a marriage partner is not an easy task. Parents look for a bride or groom through friends or through advertisements in newspapers, which indicate religion, caste, education, beauty of the bride (with a hint of the size of the dowry) and the income of the groom. In villages, parents negotiate a marriage without the participation of the bride and groom; they do not even see each other. In urban, cultural strata of society, the bride and groom exchange photographs and may be allowed to meet in the presence of the bride's relatives. More and more young people with higher education decide their own destiny. Today, love marriages are acceptable in the upper strata of society if the bride and groom belong to the same or similar caste and have a similar educational and professional level. The attitude of parents is completely different if their child marries a person of a different religion (especially a Muslim) and, especially, a low caste.
In India, especially in the north, the bride's family is considered inferior to the groom's family and must give her gifts for a generation or even two. The main gift is, of course, the dowry. Its size is agreed upon before the wedding. A dowry includes more than just jewelry. Initially, as a dowry, the bride brought with her everything she needed to arrange her life in a new place: linen, dishes, household items. Since the end of the twentieth century, the bride's dowry increasingly began to consist of money and valuable household appliances: motorcycles, cars, etc. Sometimes the groom's parents insist that the bride's family pay for the cost of his higher education and even several years of future earnings. Often the attitude towards the newlywed in the house of the husband's parents is determined by the size of the dowry. There are cases when the bride’s relatives are not able to pay the dowry, then the demand for the dowry is repeated after the wedding, and in case of delay or refusal, the young wife’s dress may, due to “negligence,” catch fire, and she herself may die. Such murders are rarely investigated. However, in the overwhelming majority of cases, marriages in India are strong and often happy, and weddings are not only pompous and colorful, but also have sacred significance.
Hindus believe that the wedding ceremony binds husband and wife for the next seven lives, being one of the 16 sanskar- the most important sacrifices in the life of a Hindu. Chastity is of great importance here. Marrying a girl who has lost her virginity is ruled out as completely useless. People who enter into such marriages and their children fall into the category of outcasts. The fact is that, according to Vedic ideas, a woman there is a field - kshetra, and the man is the owner of the field - kshetrin. The first one to sow a field with his seed becomes its owner and the owner of everything that will ever grow on it. Therefore, if you were not the first sower of the field, then the fruits (children) born of this field do not belong to you, and you are just a thief who sowed someone else’s field.
Engagement and wedding
People like to celebrate weddings in India in February: at this time it is spring in the country, it is already warm and dry, but not yet swelteringly hot. A wedding consists of pre-wedding ceremonies, the wedding itself and post-wedding rituals. The treats served during this period consist exclusively of dairy-vegetarian dishes. Eating meat, fish and eggs is prohibited. The main expenses for organizing the wedding are borne by the bride's parents. The first ceremony is the engagement - tilak. The male half of both families participates in this ceremony. The father of the bride, together with his relatives, goes to the groom's house to put on the groom's forehead tilak(sacred sign from kumkuma- red turmeric or saffron powder) as a sign that he is accepted as a son-in-law. At first Brahman, chanting mantras, conducts puja- ritual of worship of the gods. Then the bride's brother puts tilak on the groom's forehead and presents him with gifts. The same ritual is performed by all men from the bride’s family. The groom's family, for their part, gives gifts to the bride. Typically, during the engagement, the groom places a wedding ring on the bride's finger.
After the engagement comes the time of preparation for the wedding, which lasts from one to two months. About 15 days before the wedding, the god of wisdom and prosperity is worshiped - Ganesha(depicted as a fat man with the head of an elephant). Ganesha is asked to remove obstacles during the wedding. The remaining days before the wedding, the families of the bride and groom will worship Ganesha. The next stage is a fun ceremony intended for women - Sangeet. The bride's family invites female relatives, who gather together to the accompaniment of a wooden drum - dholak, sing songs dedicated to the wedding and the bride. During the fun, all the women dance and sing, joke, tease the bride, remember their youth and wish the bride well in her family life. Sangeet ends with a rich treat.
Then comes the time mehndi- applying henna patterns to the bride's hands and feet. The ceremony is held at the bride's house in the presence of relatives and friends. According to legend, the darker the patterns mehndi, the more the future husband will love his wife. The bride's hands should be painted up to the elbows. The groom is symbolically depicted on the right palm, and the bride on the left. Their names are hidden among the patterns: it is believed that if the groom finds his name on the bride’s palm on the wedding day, their marriage will be happy. In addition to the bride's hands, her feet are painted. The ceremony is accompanied by singing and music. According to tradition, after marriage, a woman should not work in the house until the patterns disappear. After mehndi the bride does not leave the house until the wedding. The ceremony is held on the wedding day or the day before it Haldi, during which turmeric paste is applied to the face, hands and feet of the bride and groom to make the skin glow. On the same day, a ritual of remembrance of deceased ancestors is held in the houses of the bride and groom.
On the wedding day, the bride wears a wedding sari that is red in the north or green in the Marathas. The sari has a lot of decorations - gold threads, beads, rhinestones, pendants. The total weight of a wedding dress can reach 12 kg. The bride's hands are decorated with bracelets and rings. The bright red color of the bracelets indicates that the girl is getting married. The wedding ceremony takes place in the evening at the bride's house, where the groom arrives, accompanied by relatives and friends. Previously, the groom arrived on horseback or on an elephant; the car is now used more often. The groom is wearing a festive outfit. In the north it's a camisole sherwani, decorated with gold embroidery, tight pants churidars, red belt and bright turban . In the south the groom wears white dhoti(loincloth) and angavastram(light fabric cape). The bride's mother meets the groom at the gate. She bows to him and places it on his forehead tilak, protecting from all evil. The groom follows mandapa- a tent decorated with elegant fabrics, banana leaves and flowers; A sacrificial fire burns in the center of the tent. There he is waiting for his bride to be held Var Mala (Jai Mala)- flower garland exchange ceremony.
The bride appears with a flower garland in her hands. Facing each other, while sacred mantras are chanted, the bride and groom exchange garlands, which signifies their acceptance of each other as husband and wife. Other rituals performed in the mandala follow. One of the main rituals is Kanya Daan. Kanya means "virgin" and daan- "gift". During the Kanya Daan the bride's father places his daughter's right hand in the groom's right hand and, while chanting mantras, pours a libation of sacred water into their palms, symbolizing the handing over of his daughter to the groom. The sacred marriage should never be broken, so the Brahmin ties the end of the bride's sari with the groom's belt in a knot, which even after the wedding should not be undone. Then the young people, holding hands, must walk around the fire burning in the center four times. mandapas. Having walked around the fire, they take seven steps together. Like circles around the fire, each step has its own meaning and is an oath.
The final ritual of the wedding ceremony is Sindurdana, during which the groom puts on the bride's parting sindoor -- red cinnabar powder, which signifies his acceptance of the bride as his wife. He also gives her a gold wedding necklace, symbolizing his love for her. The newlyweds then feed each other sweets as a sign that they will care for each other. At the end of the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds are blessed by a brahmin - purohit, parents and close relatives. After the wedding ceremony is completed, a rich treat awaits everyone. The celebration is accompanied by songs and dances and lasts all night, and then the guests accompany the newlyweds to the husband's house, where gifts and blessings await the newlyweds. The next day, they arrange a reception for the wife's relatives - they accept gifts from them, seat them at the table and the wedding celebration continues.
Status of women
The Indian family is large - sometimes up to sixty people live in a house. The tradition places the daughter-in-law under the full authority of the mother-in-law, and if a girl marries the youngest in the family, then the authority of the older daughters-in-law also extends to her. Until recently, a woman's position depended on her caste. In the lower castes, women work as wage earners outside the home; They are independent and can divorce and remarry. In the upper castes, a woman should not work for pay and appear in public once again. According to the Brahmins, she should be an obedient wife, a dutiful daughter-in-law and a caring mother. She cannot demand a divorce, and, having been widowed, remarry. Now the situation is changing: many women from the upper castes are getting educated and going to work. Accordingly, they get married later. The ban on widows marrying has also weakened. This leads to the gradual emancipation of upper caste women.
Back in the 19th century, the ritual was widespread in India sati, when widows burned themselves in their husband's funeral pyre. As a rule, sati was committed by women from the upper castes: there were especially many self-immolations in Rajasthan and Bengal. The Great Mughals tried to ban the savage ritual, but only the British were able to overcome it (and then only partially), who began to hang everyone who contributed to the self-immolation of widows. General Charles Napier's response to a complaint from a Brahman who was dissatisfied with the British interfering with Hindu traditions is well known. Sir Charles then said:
"So be it. It is your custom to burn widows; prepare a funeral pyre. But my nation also has a custom. When men burn a woman alive, we hang them and confiscate their property. Therefore, my carpenters will build gallows to hang all those involved in the death of widows. Let's follow - you yours, and we ours."
Despite the bans, first by the British and then by the Indian government, sati still occurs today. Since 1947, about 40 self-immolations have been recorded in India, most of them in the Shekhawati district of Rajasthan. Strict measures have been taken against sati, outlawing all those observing the ritual. The law does not differentiate between observers and instigators - they are found guilty equally. Yet the situation of widows in the upper castes remains difficult. According to ancient Indian canons, immediately after the cremation of the deceased husband, the widow (vidava) must go to the pond and wash off the paint of marriage - sindoor, from your parting, break your bangles and put on a white mourning sari. She should never again put on jewelry, beautiful clothes and fun. In the upper castes, widows are treated with disdain, especially if their husbands have died of illness. The presence of a widow at celebrations and celebrations is undesirable: it is believed that misfortunes follow her. Widows are not allowed to participate in religious ceremonies.
The custom of celibacy for widows in the Brahmin caste is especially strictly followed. The situation is much better for widows in the lower castes, where they are allowed to remarry, and in the South of India, where women are generally freer than in the North. Women in southern India occupy approximately the same position in society as in Southeast Asia, while the northern regions of India are similar in this regard to the Islamic countries of the Middle East. For example, in the north of the country it is customary to cover your face, while in the south only Muslim women cover their faces. Compensation for an Indian woman comes with age. If after marriage she does housework under the critical supervision of her mother-in-law, then after the birth of a child her status increases. As the children grow up and marry, she herself becomes the mother-in-law and head of the household, taking the place of her predecessor. In all strata of Indian society, the mother is a symbol of love and protection, an object of respect and good feelings.
The life of many foreign women is radically different from ours, especially if we are not talking about Europe or America. In our article, you will find out how Indian women live, what they eat and who they marry.
Food
Every Indian woman prefers her own special blend of spices and herbs, usually including turmeric, ginger, garlic, coriander, anise seeds, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Curries are usually served with rice, as well as various types of flatbreads, commonly known as roti. A regular dish on the Indian table is dal, a thick lentil porridge that is eaten with curry. Popular dishes include mattar panik - a mixture of peas and feta cheese, seasoned with spices, sag gosht - lamb with spinach and alu dam - potato curry.
Cloth
Indian women's clothes are bright and beautiful. First of all, this sari is a traditional, very beautiful and feminine outfit in India. But not all women wear it: depending on age, climate, local culture, religious beliefs, as well as place of residence, Indian girls and women wear salwar kameez, churidar kameez or boli lehenga.
Salwar kameez consists of wide harem pants and a tunic. Churidar kameez - similar to the first outfit, only a cape or blouse is added to it. The pain lehenga includes a long skirt and a top with a cape. Often these clothes are worn as evening, festive or formal wear.
Responsibilities
The image of Sita, the wife of Rama, is considered ideal for an Indian woman. She was sweet, friendly, noble and honest. She loved her husband with an unearthly love, and other men simply did not exist for her. An Indian woman must keep the house clean, raise children, cook, dress modestly and consult her husband at all times. True, in each region of India everything is individual, and for a resident of the capital and a village there are completely different rules.