I have watched Indian movies and plays but never visited India or met Indians. I’ve few queries about few things in Indian/Hindusrani Culture. Hope someone gives me adequate answers.
What is a “Mangal Sutar”?
When I watch programs on Indian T.V. Channels, I see some women with “Bhindia” on the forehead but some without it. Is there any religious symbolism associated with “Bhindia” and can it be assumed that the women not wearing it are not Hindus?
Does Hinduism impose any restriction on women not to marry people following other faiths? Are women, in Hinduism, allowed to marry agnostic/athiest men? (Personally, I am great admirer of Hindustani women because they seem delicate and with an urbane touch to their personalities. However, Hindustani men are “softees” and “un-manly”. Please don’t mind as this impression is based on Indian movies and T.V. plays only.)
Why is romance such an obcession in Indian movies? What is the extent of gender-segregation in a typical-rural Indian social environment?
i can answer #1 mangal sutar is a necklace a man ties around the wife which (i think) validates their marriage and is a symbol of their marriage...like an engagement ring but with a greater emphasis on not taking it off.....we see it in movies all the time but i've seen quite a few married indian women without it so i dont know in reality how imp it is....
hindustani women delicate?......have u seen rani mukherjee the cow? poore punjab ko represent karti hei....
of course we r not talking abt pakistani delicates yet.....i think we had a thread abt it earlier....
mangal sutr is something signifying marriage worn around the neck by married woman. indians traditionally dont wear wedding rings AFAIK.
bindis are fashion accessories. any girl can wear them - hindus, non hindus. mostly muslims dont though. usually big red ones are worn only by married women.
hinduism doesnt constrain marriage with adhering to a set of beliefs, once again AFAIK. typical hindu wedding ceremonies however do involve god though.
gender segregation varies, largely on region. places like rural bihar and UP show quite a bit of segregation, while rural kerala has relatively little segregation. however premarital relationships are frowned upon pretty much everywhere.
shweetdreams and queer thank you. I don't know rani mukarji, so can't answer. Moreover, I was speaking generally. If movies are any indicator, Hindustani girls are really delicate, cultured, womenly, and sweet-looking. Someone told me, the Urdu speaking women of Karachi nearly approach Hindu women in delicacy and culture; am planning to visit Karachi.
hai hai hai.... we karachiites envy pashtun/ pathan girls at least i do,.....based on their looks who knew u guys have an attraction towards karachi women?
i think it would be wrong to say that ALL women in karachi are delicate and polished....but they do know how to dress
the point being that movies generally arent a very good indicator of what reality actually is....those characters in paki dramas are just characters....
Till a few decades back, not sporting a bhindi was considered as a no-no. Not anymore, particularly in the urban areas. Married women, not all though, sport a red spot at the beginning of the parting of their hair. If there is a red spot there, she is a married women. I guess this used to be an indicator for 'don't lower your gaze' below the hair level. Similarly, if they wear a toe ring on their feet, that is a sign of a married woman as well. Hence, 'don't raise your gaze'
Shweet, really u appreciate Pashtun girls? That is interesting! But we Pashtuns really appreciate the refinement and sophistication in Urdu-speaking and Hindu women. And many Pashtuns want to marry such girls. Lately, there has been a surge in marriages between Pashto speakers and Hindku-Pashto speakers (of Peshawar and Kohat especially). Virtually, a new breed of Pashtuns is in offing with both the traits.
A lot of marriages betweeb Punjabis and Pashtuns are also taking place because of the increased interaction between them. As I haven’t visited Karachi yet, so I don’t know of Karachi. However, I’ve heard from fellow Pashtuns about Karachi.
I am personally in favor of this intermingling because it will lead to tolerance between communities.
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1. What is a "Mangal Sutar"?
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It’s the Hindu equivalent of a wedding ring, which the groom puts around the brides neck during the marriage ceremony, it’s usually a beaded thread with a pendant featuring a sign of the Hindu idol Vishnu/Shiva.
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2. When I watch programs on Indian T.V. Channels, I see some women with "Bhindia" on the forehead but some without it. Is there any religious symbolism associated with "Bhindia" and can it be assumed that the women not wearing it are not Hindus?
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Bindi were originally vermilion dots worn by married Hindu women on the forehead, they represented the Hindu idoless Parvati and were considered a sign of her female energy which was believed to protect the woman and her husband, they were usually worn between the two eyes because they believe this is where the third eye or one of the chakra’s (energy points) of the body are located.
Today you can get them in pretty much every colour, shape and material and are more a fashion accessory.
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3. Does Hinduism impose any restriction on women not to marry people following other faiths? Are women, in Hinduism, allowed to marry agnostic/athiest men? (Personally, I am great admirer of Hindustani women because they seem delicate and with an urbane touch to their personalities. However, Hindustani men are "softees" and "un-manly". Please don't mind as this impression is based on Indian movies and T.V. plays only.)
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Hindu women are not allowed to marry men born into a lower Hindu caste than themselves let alone somebody from a different religion and culture who has no place in their caste system, especially a Muslim since Muslims are considered filthy by Hindus, I hear from relatives that during pre-partition India the Hindus wouldn’t eat anything touched by Muslims or drink from the same utensil so marriage would be completely out of order.
Don’t be fooled by Bollywood which paints a rosy picture of Indian culture, even today devout Hindus are very racist when picking a spouse for their children and are really strict about the right varna and jati.
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4. Why is romance such an obcession in Indian movies? What is the extent of gender-segregation in a typical-rural Indian social environment?
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Never been to India so I wouldn’t know but I know 2 or 3 South Indians and like us they have arranged marriages so you can guess how romantic they are in real life…
Toba.. Wrorr Hindu women are not for marriage unless they convert to Islam of course.
I’m happy for inter-ethnic marriages within Pakistan because it will make cohesion in our country… but we should stay away from the Hindu girls bro unless she converts to Islam, takes and Arabic name and agrees to move to Peshawar or Lahore with us…
Mixed race children are beautiful, Pakis need to start intermarrying so that our next generation of Pakis are even hotter than us, not that there’s much room for improvement we being Pakistani and all, all Pakistanis are kind of hot in their own ways anyway.
One thing I like about Pakistan so much is the way it’s home to Indian (Punjabi/Sindhi/Mohajir) and Iranian (Pashtun/Balochi/Dari) cultures and I can call them all my own and identify with both our eastern and western neighbours, over time the fusion of these cultures will definitely create something even more beautiful and distinct from our neighbours (not too gay and not too boring)…
There’s lots of Hindko-Pukhtoon marriages in my family, so much so that I don’t think of them as different people even though the languages and the people were originally completely different. My family is Hindko speaking, my maternal family is Pukhtu speaking and lives in the heart of Punjab, my fiancée’s speaks Persian and Pashto, it’s really nice sometimes but a bit confusing when it comes to identity issues but now I’ve learnt to not give undue importance to temporal identities and just enjoy them, I’m a Muslim first and foremost and Paki second and other identities are nice but no need to stress over them, to the world I’m just a “Paki”.
