Historical Background. India Geographic and Political Maps.

WaterHistorical Background

India

Geographic and Political Maps

Basic Information1/3 the size of the U.S.Has more than 1.1. billion peopleMost Indians live in povertyTwo main religions are Hindu (80%) and Muslim

(13%)1757-1947 India is colonized and under the

control of the British empireRuled by British East India Company until 1857,

then ruled by the British CrownIn 1947, Mahatma Gandhi led the country to

independence through a campaign of non-violence actionNon-cooperation, civil disobedience, protest and

petition

“Divide and Rule”

Strategy of British rule was to pit Muslim against HinduWhen Britain grants independence to India in

1947 it partitioned (divided) the former colony into two countries Mostly Muslim Pakistan Mostly Hindu India

Results in mass chaos as Hindus fled Pakistan and Muslims fled India Tensions still exist between the countries today

Hindu Religion and Culture

Lord Krishna is the embodiment of love and divine joy, that destroys all pain and sin. He is the protector of sacred sayings and cows.

Hindu Religion and CultureHinduism teaches that the soul has many

lives and that after each death it returns to earth in different forms to learn the lessons life has to offerThe form of your rebirth is dependent on how

well the soul lived its previous lifeIn the order of rebirth people are higher forms

than animals and men higher forms than women

The goal of Hindu religious practice is to liberated from worldly desires and released from the cycle of rebirth and death

In 1938, Hindu culture, and thereby India, was bound by ancient customs and traditions. Although much has changed since Gandhi’s time, most of rural India is still bound by these traditions.

Many of these traditions have a religious sanction. This means that although some customs may seem not very ethical they are tied deeply to religious beliefs and are still practicedCaste systemPatriarchyTreatment of women, especially widows

Caste SystemCastes are groups in society ranked by their

class which is determined at birth. Caste is often linked to occupationPeople generally only marry in their casteThere are thousands of castes and subcastes

Brahman caste is traditionally the most respected and honored. They may read and interpret holy texts

The Untouchables are the lowest caste. They are restricted to “unclean” occupations such a toilet cleaning or are removed from society. If Untouchables tried to improve their situations in life, they were subject to brutal repression

Indian Caste System

PatriarchyA form of social organization in which a male

is the family head and title is traced through the male line

In Hinduism and Indian society men are considered superior to women.

According to religious belief a woman’s life has 3 stages: Stage 1: Under the protection of her father Stage 2: Under the protection of her husband Stage 3: As a widow she is take care of by her eldest

son. If there is no male child or he does not want her she is isolated and shunned from society

Treatment of WidowsWhen a husband dies his widow must atone

for her sins, which were thought to have contributed to her husband’s death

No matter which caste they are born into, widows were (and still are in many cases) assigned to the lowest section of society

They are considered bad luck and unclean and are thereby shunned by society

Widows Continued . . .In the 1930s there were few good choices for a

widow in traditional Indian societySati – burn with her husband’s dead bodyLive with her eldest sonCould only be remarried if her husband’s youngest

brother married herThose without a male to provide for them are

assigned to a lonely life of prayerSome found haven in ashrams, very strict religious

communities Bland meals with no spices Shaved heads Forbidden to wear make-up Required to focus on prayer to Krishna to redeem their

souls

Mahatma Gandhi 1869-1948

GandhiThought to be one of the greatest moral and

political leaders of the 20th centuryA religious Hindu who acknowledged the validity

of all religionsDeveloped non-violent resistance to overturn the

harshest laws oppressing Indians The crux of Gandhi’s reforms were that certain

laws and traditions violated the basic idea that everyone is equal before God Advocated civil rights for the Untouchables,

campaigned against child marriage, and supported remarriage for widows

Widows in India Today and the Making of WaterMuch of India is still very tradition-bound.

Widows’ ashrams, similar to the one in the movie, still exist. Many widows are still forced into prostitution to get enough to eat.

Hindu fundamentalists felt threatened by the themes of Water. During the first attempts to film the movie individuals rioted, destroyed the film sets, and made death threats against the director.

The production was suspended for 5 years. Then the movie was recast and filmed under another name in the country of Sri Lanka.