Reading this novel about a Sikh family living in pre-partition Rawalpindi.
While the characters depict many thoughts which have not been changed to great extent over the decades (in fact century). Like there is a resistance by Sikh lady before her son-in-law not to take her seriously ill pregnant daughter to a doctor at Meo hospital, Lahore and due to complications the lady died. This is still followed in many parts of sub-continent (almost all religion and I can talk about Muslims). Purdah is given more importance than proper medical facilities especially when a lady patient has to consult a male doctor. The same thought as the sikh lady depicted ‘kiya meri beti ka jism ghair mard ko dikao ge’ prevails todate.
What was more confusing was the scene, where a girl (Sikh) was stopped from eating eggs and chicken, while sharing the tiffin with her brother. She was made to eat lentils (daal) and siwayyaN. While the reason given by the mother was that the boy need to eat because he was supposed to join army, no reason was given for stopping the girl having chicken and eggs.
What do you think could be the reason behind this restriction? Is it just that girls were supposed to avoid such food as their mothers were afraid of their gaining maturity before time. You know what I mean.
What could be the reason behind such attitudes? Is it something that is inbuilt in certain cultures or religions also affected this thought process. As I mentioned, some thoughts prevail in almost all the religions.
exactly, I had same thought, when boys were given special treatment that they will enter tough fields like army, girls also need special attention as they will give birth to children and due to undernourishment, many ladies still die while giving birth to children.
In addition to the national surveys cited above, smaller studies of household dietary intake in different parts of the subcontinent provide information on differences between males and females by age, socio-economic status, region, and season. A mapping of these studies shows that nutritional equity is lower in northern India and improves toward the south. While in Rajasthan, a northern state, all children under 12 years old and adult women were deprived of their fair nutritional shares relative to adult males, as well as to the applicable RDAs, the gender differential disappeared among adults in the western states of Gujarat (except for lactating women) and Maharashtra, and the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu [11]. Even in the latter areas, however, preschool girls tended to be worse off than boys, and some gender differences were seasonal. In most instances, adolescent girls appeared to be as well off as or sometimes even better off than their male counterparts.
In the east (including Bangladesh), the situation was similar to that in Rajasthan, but the deprivation of women appears to be economically rather than culturally mediated, as work plays a significant role in female undernutrition (see below). Regional variations also occur in Pakistan, with higher rates of malnutrition among women in Baluchistan and Sind than in Punjab and the North-west Frontier Province. In essence, the social and economic value of women underlies regional variations in their nutrition status and in sex-based differences in nutrition.
Socio-economic differences
While not permitting an examination of gender differences within each socio-economic category, the NNMB's dietary intake surveys document lower food consumption in households without land than in those with land, among those who possessed land but did not grow crops in the reference year than among those who did grow crops, among labourers and "others" (village artisans and petty businessmen) than among cultivators, and among scheduled castes and tribes than among non-scheduled groups [1]. Thus, women in these groups are likely to be at the greatest risk of malnutrition.
In my childhood I spent some time in Africa, I remember once we travelled to some neighbouring country to where we used to live. We stayed at some Indian family's home, they were the ones who would keep the eggs and meat for their sons and daughters had to go without that. Was different for us, could be the same in some quarters within Pakistan as well.
In my childhood I spent some time in Africa, I remember once we travelled to some neighbouring country to where we used to live. We stayed at some Indian family's home, they were the ones who would keep the eggs and meat for their sons and daughters had to go without that. Was different for us, could be the same in some quarters within Pakistan as well.
I found a rectified version in my family. There was no restriction of such items for girls. Everyone shared same food be it veg or non-veg. But, extra consumption of eggs (say daily intake in breakfast) by girls was something that attracted some comments from ghar ki baRhi booRhis. They didn't spell it out well, but said 'laRkiyon ke liye ye acha nahin'.
In my childhood I spent some time in Africa, I remember once we travelled to some neighbouring country to where we used to live. We stayed at some Indian family's home, they were the ones who would keep the eggs and meat for their sons and daughters had to go without that. Was different for us, could be the same in some quarters within Pakistan as well.
Heart breaking :(
Even I have seen in many families that when son/brother return from college he start shouting about lunch and mother or sister serve lunch for them. I really don't like this thing. In my family, me and all of my brother were used to to take lunch or dinner by our selves.
I found a rectified version in my family. There was no restriction of such items for girls. Everyone shared same food be it veg or non-veg. But, extra consumption of eggs (say daily intake in breakfast) by girls was something that attracted some comments from ghar ki baRhi booRhis. They didn't spell it out well, but said 'laRkiyon ke liye ye acha nahin'.
Some days back i read some where that Chicken is harmful for girls but also read article that its not true.
Even I have seen in many families that when son/brother return from college he start shouting about lunch and mother or sister serve lunch for them. I really don't like this thing. In my family, me and all of my brother were used to to take lunch or dinner by our selves.
Ironically girls are said to be mehmaan (guests) at parents home and the guests are made to serve the hosts (brothers and father) till they remain guests. Otherwise, in our traditions, guests are taken care by hosts and they are served the best available at home.
Ironically girls are said to be mehmaan (guests) at parents home and the guests are made to serve the hosts (brothers and father) till they remain guests. Otherwise, in our traditions, guests are taken care by hosts and they are served the best available at home.
Bitter fact girls are always hosts even after marriage they serve their husbands and sons.
Reading this novel about a Sikh family living in pre-partition Rawalpindi.
While the characters depict many thoughts which have not been changed to great extent over the decades (in fact century). Like there is a resistance by Sikh lady before her son-in-law not to take her seriously ill pregnant daughter to a doctor at Meo hospital, Lahore and due to complications the lady died. This is still followed in many parts of sub-continent (almost all religion and I can talk about Muslims). Purdah is given more importance than proper medical facilities especially when a lady patient has to consult a male doctor. The same thought as the sikh lady depicted 'kiya meri beti ka jism ghair mard ko dikao ge' prevails todate.
What was more confusing was the scene, where a girl (Sikh) was stopped from eating eggs and chicken, while sharing the tiffin with her brother. She was made to eat lentils (daal) and siwayyaN. While the reason given by the mother was that the boy need to eat because he was supposed to join army, no reason was given for stopping the girl having chicken and eggs.
What do you think could be the reason behind this restriction? Is it just that girls were supposed to avoid such food as their mothers were afraid of their gaining maturity before time. You know what I mean.
What could be the reason behind such attitudes? Is it something that is inbuilt in certain cultures or religions also affected this thought process. As I mentioned, some thoughts prevail in almost all the religions.
One thing to notice is that its almost always mother who does such discrimination. Fathers are normally not part of it. Mother in her time must have suffered the same and accepted it as a reality and is now passing the same opinion/reason to next generation to continue the tradition.
One thing to notice is that its almost always mother who does such discrimination. Fathers are normally not part of it. Mother in her time must have suffered the same and accepted it as a reality and is now passing the same opinion/reason to next generation to continue the tradition.
Exactly, most of the time discrimination against ladies is carried by or carried through ladies.
In most cases, over the period, victim of discrimination adjusted to the discrimination met in her life. In fact they not only compromise, but also create justifications of such discrimination. By the time their daughters are subjected to such behavior, they are mentally prepared to support that a set and accepted pattern.
I found a rectified version in my family. There was no restriction of such items for girls. Everyone shared same food be it veg or non-veg. But, extra consumption of eggs (say daily intake in breakfast) by girls was something that attracted some comments from ghar ki baRhi booRhis. They didn't spell it out well, but said 'laRkiyon ke liye ye acha nahin'.
oh ok...
I think eggs, garmi and the hakeemi kind of reasons. The doctors consider these things as superstitious but somehow its ingrained into our psyche.