Friday, July 27, 2007
Water
Just watched the movie yesterday.... was a disturbing movie to watch.... Its about widows in India, set during the independance time ,and its about how the widows are ostracized from the society..and how bad their lives are.... It was disturbing to just watch the movie, one can't imagine leading that life.... As Indians, we always talk about the values and culture that we have as a society.... and how much we have progressed from the backward thoughts that ppl had and so forth... However, when you look at aspects like widow remairrage and how they are actually treated in the society, i don think there has been a gr8 change...
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7 comments:
one drop at a time, lets be the change that we want to see... personal transformation is the only way that a societal issue like this can be overcome... let there be light, let there be truth, let there be hope, let there be leaders :) ...
change is not just a way of life, but the only way of life... i wish that tomorrow brings a great change to us all mankind... the tomorrow, of which there is hope!
but beyond a certain age, ppl cant change, Customs, practices, Values, Behaviours, Manners, etc are all deeply installed in us right since Childhood and to see a change in us is equivalent to changing the 'person' in us. It becomes so tough to transform the beliefs of people when the 'so' called 'fake' belief becomes so real that changing it would not make 'sense' to the senses of the person!
arjun - there is a dialogue in the movie, which could be taken in a context that we want to take it in... 'the priest says: lekin beti, phir bhi vishwaas mat khona'... meaning, dont lose the belief... the belief that there is a change coming, that there is a better tomorrow, that there is hope...
agreed that we are moulded into the 'person' that we are... but at the same time, it is a continuous journey, and the day we think we do not learn anything, that day is useless...
not to brag, but even my bloodgroup's B positive :)
Human social behavior depends on the 'society'- norms, beliefs, institutions and culture- the individual is a part of.
To change what is acceptable and what is not, personal change and 'institutional' change will have to occur in tandem.
If something stops with a personal realization and doesn't go further, in time society will alter your views or ostracize you for being different.
I am sure many people feel bad about a lot of things today and do nothing. I am sure you find, among their reasons, that they do not want to be different, to be singled out, to not fit in, to behave unexpectedly.
We who prayed and wept
For liberty from kings
and the yoke of liberty
accept the tyranny of things
we do not need.
- Wendell Barry (American Writer)
I too saw “Water” few weeks back and it left me feeling both angry and sad. I understand and agree with what you said Arun. Fate of Lisa Ray’s character, story of the little girl Chuhiya and so many other women depicted in the movie – ostracized and exploited in the name of beliefs from dark ages gone by – is anything but comforting. That was then. The story being set during the time of struggle for independence when Gandhi was also fiercely advocating for woman rights and winds of change did seem to be gaining some momentum. I like John Abraham’s character in the movie for it takes a brave man to not follow the herd and stand by what he truly believes.
That was then. Today we live in the 21st century. India has undergone much transformation – but has it? Often we see the buzz of neon lights, the ipods, rising stock markets, malls , new highways, new cars and all that is taken for granted as a sign of advancement but we forget that it’s not the big picture. Our metropolitan cities are but a small part of big canvas that is India. What made me more worried after seeing “Water” was that in many parts of India – situation remains the same or even worse. Consider Vrindavan - about 68 miles from the capital New Delhi. According to some reports, about 15000 widows live on the streets on Vrindavan TODAY! State of widows is not the end of it. Female Infanticide, Domestic Violence, trafficking are still widely prevalent.
Is there a silver lining then? An optimist that I am – I think yes there is hope. And I do agree that both individual and an institutional change is required to make this possible. Institutional systems and progressive policies can surely go a long way in changing the state of affairs.Having said that, I also think individuals are the building blocks from which society is made. There are people who are followers and then there are people who are the change makers – the one’s who just don’t get satisfied with status quo – the one’s who won’t follow a wrong thing just because it has been done for thousands of years – the one’s who would raise their voice to change the system as well as to shake the conscious of other’s who just don’t ask the right questions forget about looking for answers! I am a strong believer in power of an individual for how else could one frail Gandhi bring the whole nation together to throw the Britishers out? How could one Raja Ram Mohan Roy fight for woman rights way back in early 1800’s and made Sati illegal in 1829? How could one Martin Luther King champion the cause of American civil rights movement? They could because one person can change mindsets, attitudes, rules, laws and an entire nation if there is will. It’s not an easy road but then when was change easy? :)
i perfectly agree with mr. arvind venugopal...." one drop at a time.. .let's be the change we want to seE"
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