There used to be separate portions in old homes (Mardana and Zanankahna), but this is not the setup anymore.
Why this tradition ended? Is it due to economic reasons (not able to afford big house) or acceptability of mixed gatherings in society.
Re: Mardana Zanana
in olden and golden days [depends how you look at it], people were more religious and Muslims observed Islamic protocol in daily lives more closely and more sincerely. for instance, they used to knock at the door before entering their own homes [to give time for daughters/sisters/grand daughters etc to put their DupaTTa on]. even cousins were not free to enter homes.
men used to live in the mardaan-Khaana all day and they would come to zanaan-Khaana. this gave women inside the zanaan Khaana more freedom to move around and do their chores with or without DupaTTaas etc.
i've seen, in my childhood, several families in my village who observed strict mardaan-Khaana and zanaan-Khaana setup. i was allowed in their homes until i was like 12 years old. after that my entry was restricted...:(...there was this girl i liked and i used to play with her but when my entry in the house was restricted and her exit from the house were prohibited, i felt bad and lost contact with her...:(
Re: Mardana Zanana
Dish culture, and Pakistani media both influenced on our way of life....language, designer dress syndrome, and khula dulla culture......
Re: Mardana Zanana
afsos huwa sun kar 
BTW, is this mardan-kahan and zanan-khana never poplar amongst Hindus?
Re: Mardana Zanana
Dish culture, and Pakistani media both influenced on our way of life....language, designer dress syndrome, and khula dulla culture......
Yes people became khulla dhulla.. but is it just cultural aspect that have been affected due to media and all that or economical conditions made people to abandon this compartmentalization
Re: Mardana Zanana
economic condition is directly related to lifestyle....? Does it impact on gender mixing(common area)?
Re: Mardana Zanana
economic condition is directly related to lifestyle....? Does it impact on gender mixing(common area)?
I can't say with surety but change in economic conditions sometimes lead to seclusion of genders and sometimes towards proximity.
If we trace history of purdah and seclusion it was first followed by upper class, lower class doesn't have resources to afford it
Re: Mardana Zanana
ta’ziyat kaa shukria [lol for the word ta’ziyat] hehe
oh, you won’t believe it but in some ways they do. there was this baniyaa in my village. they used to have a strange pardaa_daarii…we never ever saw his bahoos and/or daughters outside the zanaanKhaana…whenever they came out to go to anywhere they were fully ‘ghoonghaTofied’…only woman that we had seen was his middle elderly wife.
now the strange twist. their bahoos were NOT allowed to come out and do business in his duukaan as long as their saas was alive. when she died, her three bahoos came out and then we saw them without their ghoonghaT…[they were really pretty women tucked away in zanaanKhaana] … btw, traditional baniyaa homes were usually gherofied by rooms all around the courtyard and the verandas. the courtyard hardy ever receive sunshine. strange, isn’t it?
now another strange practice. the first time we would see their babies would be when they babies are over an year old. they kept the babies hidden for the first year from our view to avoid evil sight from us *…we used to get really surprised how successfully they hid women and children.
our women never visited them or they ever visited us except the old lady who used to drop by once in a blue moon.*
Re: Mardana Zanana
Advancement ho rhi hai hr jagah 
Re: Mardana Zanana
ta'ziyat kaa shukria [lol for the word ta'ziyat] hehe
oh, you won't believe it but in some ways they do. there was this baniyaa in my village. they used to have a strange pardaa_daarii...we never ever saw his bahoos and/or daughters outside the zanaanKhaana...whenever they came out to go to anywhere they were fully 'ghoonghaTofied'...only woman that we had seen was his middle elderly wife.
now the strange twist. their bahoos were NOT allowed to come out and do business in his duukaan as long as their saas was alive. when she died, her three bahoos came out and then we saw them without their ghoonghaT...[they were really pretty women tucked away in zanaanKhaana] ... btw, traditional baniyaa homes were usually gherofied by rooms all around the courtyard and the verandas. the courtyard hardy ever receive sunshine. strange, isn't it?
now another strange practice. the first time we would see their babies would be when they babies are over an year old. they kept the babies hidden for the first year from our view to avoid evil sight from us *...we used to get really surprised how successfully they hid women and children.
our women never visited them or they ever visited us except the old lady who used to drop by once in a blue moon.
strange that their ladies were doing purda from ladies.
What is the status of zanann-khana/ mardan khana now in UP?*
Re: Mardana Zanana
Yes advancement. When people don’t interact with family members for weeks as they only interact with computer and TV screens
Re: Mardana Zanana
strange that their ladies were doing purda from ladies.
What is the status of zanann-khana/ mardan khana now in UP?
ab to sab badal gayaa hai magar dehii ilaaqoN HinduoN meN abhii bhii pardaa/ghoonghaT kaa rivaaj Khaasa 'aam hai! :)
zanaan-KhaanoN aur mardaan-KhaanoN ke maa-bai'n ab itnaa imtiyaaz nahiiN hai...donoN Khaane to mileNge magar ab gharoN meN qareebii rishtedaar mardoN kaa aanaa jaanaa ma'mool ban chukaa hai...even friends are allowed now.
Re: Mardana Zanana
ab to sab badal gayaa hai magar dehii ilaaqoN HinduoN meN abhii bhii pardaa/ghoonghaT kaa rivaaj Khaasa 'aam hai! :)
zanaan-KhaanoN aur mardaan-KhaanoN ke maa-bai'n ab itnaa imtiyaaz nahiiN hai...donoN Khaane to mileNge magar ab gharoN meN qareebii rishtedaar mardoN kaa aanaa jaanaa ma'mool ban chukaa hai...even friends are allowed now.
I think they follow this in middle east, at least in KSA.
Re: Mardana Zanana
To is mein logon ka kusoor hai technology ka nhi 
apnay living styles change kren na,
Re: Mardana Zanana
the tradition and culture that our society now romanticize are of agricultural phase. There are many phases of social development, nomadic-tribal-agricultural-industrial-post industrial. While our culture is rooted in agricultural society our economics is in post industrial phase. It is economic structure that changes the social structure. Now economics structure is post industrial which requires both husband and wife to work to be economically stable, such traditions are entirely irrelevant if not outright obsolete.
Like there used to be no marriages during poos(paush) maas, as crops used to get cut only after mid january, when poos ends, now there are marriages all over the year. Economics driving the society
Re: Mardana Zanana
the tradition and culture that our society now romanticize are of agricultural phase. There are many phases of social development, nomadic-tribal-agricultural-industrial-post industrial. While our culture is rooted in agricultural society our economics is in post industrial phase. It is economic structure that changes the social structure. Now economics structure is post industrial which requires both husband and wife to work to be economically stable, such traditions are entirely irrelevant if not outright obsolete.
Like there used to be no marriages during poos(paush) maas, as crops used to get cut only after mid january, when poos ends, now there are marriages all over the year. Economics driving the society
I think the issue becomes religious when it comes to Muslims of sub-continent, as Muslim scriptures orders to follow this separation.
Re: Mardana Zanana
I think the issue becomes religious when it comes to Muslims of sub-continent, as Muslim scriptures orders to follow this separation.
But technology and accompanying economic structure will make the difference, either people will be left behind or they will move with the current. It would be the choice of society and
society just like individuals are, the choices that they make
emperor Aurangzeb probably used to go to garden in the morning as there were no British with gutter and latrine and since Portuguese came little late to India, he probably died without eating potato. It is introduction of new things which changed our existence, now we live as if we were always with potatoes, this would be challenge to Islam and it will be interesting to see how Muslims deal with this
Re: Mardana Zanana
But technology and accompanying economic structure will make the difference, either people will be left behind or they will move with the current. It would be the choice of society and society just like individuals are, the choices that they make
emperor Aurangzeb probably used to go to garden in the morning as there were no British with gutter and latrine and since Portuguese came little late to India, he probably died without eating potato. It is introduction of new things which changed our existence, now we live as if we were always with potatoes, this would be challenge to Islam and it will be interesting to see how Muslims deal with this
I think Muslims have faced the situation and result is majority doesn't follow the ruling. Those who follow this have made arrangements either by less interaction with others (if they can't afford to have separate portions for gents and ladies) or using drawing rooms as Mardana.
Re: Mardana Zanana
I think Muslims have faced the situation and result is majority doesn't follow the ruling. Those who follow this have made arrangements either by less interaction with others (if they can't afford to have separate portions for gents and ladies) or using drawing rooms as Mardana.
situation of Hindus in rural areas is no different, but in urban centres, there is no such issue with them. The lower the caste, more is freedom to women. Purdah system is forward caste thing since inception, though it never had theological sanction, for dalit women were never in Pundah. One difference which is noteworthy is, that in UP, a muslim marriage comprises of two section, one for man and another for woman for eating and sitting, there is no such thing in Hindu marriages.
In Sikh, women were always always liberated in social sense and there was no purdah ever :)
Re: Mardana Zanana
situation of Hindus in rural areas is no different, but in urban centres, there is no such issue with them. The lower the caste, more is freedom to women. Purdah system is forward caste thing since inception, though it never had theological sanction, for dalit women were never in Pundah. One difference which is noteworthy is, that in UP, a muslim marriage comprises of two section, one for man and another for woman for eating and sitting, there is no such thing in Hindu marriages.
In Sikh, women were always always liberated in social sense and there was no purdah ever :)
So this seclusion of women is basically tribal phenomenon. While Sikhs / Jaats basically came from tribal Afghanistan (as Champion says :D ), how they lost their tradition of seclusion in this foreign land where their other country men who followed them in India, religiously followed the practice. The situation with Rajputs is different. Do Rajputs still follow compartmentalisation on gender basis?