Comments on: Fun With The Reviewers: Deepa Mehta’s Water http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2006/05/05/fun_with_the_re/ All that flavorful brownness in one savory packet Sat, 30 Nov 2013 11:11:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: XUYLIN http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2006/05/05/fun_with_the_re/comment-page-2/#comment-61908 XUYLIN Fri, 12 May 2006 16:39:56 +0000 http://sepiamutiny.com?p=3341#comment-61908 <p>I think this is a common practice in certain community to bring negative aspect of HINDU religion and make fun of the religion as a whole. And any minute thing available in this religion is directed to all the followers of HINDUISM. Amardeep you are enjoying the misery of HINDU followers not really helping the cause of a better life for widows. If you are so touched by this movie would you go marry one of them to you or your kids?????</p> <p>I know what goes in places of worships. There is always a direct taunt from the people preaching other religion towards HINDUISM. Hinduism is a very progressive society. It is the oldest religion in face of earth. It has been preaching for peace and harmony with other religions. DonÂ’t forget that this film is created by another HINDU.</p> <p>If Hinduism has been running by fundamentalist (as other main religion of India do), this film may not have been completed. Deepa knows it very well as she is herself a part of HINDUISM. Well she is also not brave enough to put some light on the real issue faced by females of other religion in INDIA. She knows that if she tries to do portray a SIKH or MUSLIM woman in this fashion she will be facing with mindless goons with bandooks.</p> I think this is a common practice in certain community to bring negative aspect of HINDU religion and make fun of the religion as a whole. And any minute thing available in this religion is directed to all the followers of HINDUISM. Amardeep you are enjoying the misery of HINDU followers not really helping the cause of a better life for widows. If you are so touched by this movie would you go marry one of them to you or your kids?????

I know what goes in places of worships. There is always a direct taunt from the people preaching other religion towards HINDUISM. Hinduism is a very progressive society. It is the oldest religion in face of earth. It has been preaching for peace and harmony with other religions. DonÂ’t forget that this film is created by another HINDU.

If Hinduism has been running by fundamentalist (as other main religion of India do), this film may not have been completed. Deepa knows it very well as she is herself a part of HINDUISM. Well she is also not brave enough to put some light on the real issue faced by females of other religion in INDIA. She knows that if she tries to do portray a SIKH or MUSLIM woman in this fashion she will be facing with mindless goons with bandooks.

]]> By: Videsi Gori http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2006/05/05/fun_with_the_re/comment-page-2/#comment-61017 Videsi Gori Mon, 08 May 2006 19:28:40 +0000 http://sepiamutiny.com?p=3341#comment-61017 <h1>54 Hari wrote in respone to my comment- "Regarding Vrindavan, there are literally thousands of women and men living there in what would be considered impovereshed conditions by all of us, by choice."</h1> <p>Are you joking here? Most of the Vrindavan widoes (and close friend is a social worker there) are not there by choice, the living conditions are terrible, and the Uttar Pradesh mafia runs huge prostitution rings. Its really a blot on the face of modern India, and quite disgraceful. ...........................</p> <p>...........................</p> <p>No, I wasn't kidding. I have personal experience with this way of life. However, at the same time there may be thousands of actual widows who are not there by choice and who are not living simply (in poverty) by their own desire or by the strength of their spiritual inspiration.</p> 54 Hari wrote in respone to my comment- “Regarding Vrindavan, there are literally thousands of women and men living there in what would be considered impovereshed conditions by all of us, by choice.”

Are you joking here? Most of the Vrindavan widoes (and close friend is a social worker there) are not there by choice, the living conditions are terrible, and the Uttar Pradesh mafia runs huge prostitution rings. Its really a blot on the face of modern India, and quite disgraceful. ………………………

………………………

No, I wasn’t kidding. I have personal experience with this way of life. However, at the same time there may be thousands of actual widows who are not there by choice and who are not living simply (in poverty) by their own desire or by the strength of their spiritual inspiration.

]]> By: Videsi Gori http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2006/05/05/fun_with_the_re/comment-page-2/#comment-61015 Videsi Gori Mon, 08 May 2006 19:13:56 +0000 http://sepiamutiny.com?p=3341#comment-61015 <p>I thought that the shaving of head and wearing of white sari was not a pan-Indian custom but rather one mostly centered amongst Bengalis. Am I right or wrong? Most of the widows in Vrindavan who do so are Bengali (maybe all of them). For that matter, most of the non-widow renunciates in Vrindavan are Bengali also. There is a huge connection between Bengal and Vrindavan due to the Vaishnava religion. As far as Varanasi widows I don't know if they also happen to be predominantly Bengali or not. Anyone been to Varanasi who can verify the regional background of the widows there?</p> I thought that the shaving of head and wearing of white sari was not a pan-Indian custom but rather one mostly centered amongst Bengalis. Am I right or wrong? Most of the widows in Vrindavan who do so are Bengali (maybe all of them). For that matter, most of the non-widow renunciates in Vrindavan are Bengali also. There is a huge connection between Bengal and Vrindavan due to the Vaishnava religion. As far as Varanasi widows I don’t know if they also happen to be predominantly Bengali or not. Anyone been to Varanasi who can verify the regional background of the widows there?

]]> By: leena http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2006/05/05/fun_with_the_re/comment-page-2/#comment-60952 leena Mon, 08 May 2006 06:49:05 +0000 http://sepiamutiny.com?p=3341#comment-60952 <p>re: khnh and homosexuality, check out <a href="http://media.opencultures.net/queer/data/movie_clips/kmdkk.mpg">this remix film</a> from <a href="http://media.opencultures.net/queer/">this site</a>.</p> re: khnh and homosexuality, check out this remix film from this site.

]]> By: Msichana http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2006/05/05/fun_with_the_re/comment-page-2/#comment-60948 Msichana Mon, 08 May 2006 06:34:45 +0000 http://sepiamutiny.com?p=3341#comment-60948 <p>This is what Roger Ebert had to <a href="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060504/REVIEWS/60315003">say about Water</a>:</p> <blockquote> That a film like "Water" still has the power to offend in the year 2006 inspires the question: Who is still offended, and why, and what have they to gain, and what do they fear?</blockquote> <p>Food for thought..</p> This is what Roger Ebert had to say about Water:

That a film like “Water” still has the power to offend in the year 2006 inspires the question: Who is still offended, and why, and what have they to gain, and what do they fear?

Food for thought..

]]> By: someone else http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2006/05/05/fun_with_the_re/comment-page-2/#comment-60940 someone else Mon, 08 May 2006 05:36:34 +0000 http://sepiamutiny.com?p=3341#comment-60940 <p><i>Here's the video on Youtube</p> <p>http://youtube.com/watch?v=1GXVo77WNjk&search=Kuch%20to%20hua%20hai</p> <p>Watch at time 00:36.</i></p> <p>Oooh--good catch, technophobicgeek (apparently not all that technophobic ;)! I can't believe I either missed that or blocked it out somehow.</p> <p><i>The faux gay thing was kinda homophobic by American standards, but still I was glad they even brought the topic up for discussion.</i></p> <p>I agree. I think it's actually a sensible and funny way to introduce the topic, rather than something heavyhanded that's going to get everyone's panties in a bunch. And I certainly don't look to Bollywood to adhere to American media standards on lgbt issues...yet :)</p> Here’s the video on Youtube

http://youtube.com/watch?v=1GXVo77WNjk&search=Kuch%20to%20hua%20hai

Watch at time 00:36.

Oooh–good catch, technophobicgeek (apparently not all that technophobic ;) ! I can’t believe I either missed that or blocked it out somehow.

The faux gay thing was kinda homophobic by American standards, but still I was glad they even brought the topic up for discussion.

I agree. I think it’s actually a sensible and funny way to introduce the topic, rather than something heavyhanded that’s going to get everyone’s panties in a bunch. And I certainly don’t look to Bollywood to adhere to American media standards on lgbt issues…yet :)

]]> By: technophobicgeek http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2006/05/05/fun_with_the_re/comment-page-2/#comment-60935 technophobicgeek Mon, 08 May 2006 04:18:02 +0000 http://sepiamutiny.com?p=3341#comment-60935 <blockquote>What's often annoying about feminist, 'secular' types is that they often take their own usually high-caste mores as normative</blockquote> <p>Even more reason, IMHO, to draw attention to this. Why should the so-called 'higher castes' get away with such reprehensible traditions?</p> <p>Whether we like it or not, the higher castes are the usual face of India to the outside world (more education, opportunities etc). They should be the ones getting their sh*t together.</p> <p>I have my share of beef with uber-feminists, to me there's nothing 'feminist' or 'secular' about demanding that these traditions are changed.</p> What’s often annoying about feminist, ‘secular’ types is that they often take their own usually high-caste mores as normative

Even more reason, IMHO, to draw attention to this. Why should the so-called ‘higher castes’ get away with such reprehensible traditions?

Whether we like it or not, the higher castes are the usual face of India to the outside world (more education, opportunities etc). They should be the ones getting their sh*t together.

I have my share of beef with uber-feminists, to me there’s nothing ‘feminist’ or ‘secular’ about demanding that these traditions are changed.

]]> By: Amba http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2006/05/05/fun_with_the_re/comment-page-2/#comment-60934 Amba Mon, 08 May 2006 04:05:04 +0000 http://sepiamutiny.com?p=3341#comment-60934 <p>Regarding the historical treatment of widows in India, I remember reading somewhere that, according to colonial census takers, only 15% of Hindu castes forbade widow remarriage. In William Pinch's 'Peasants and Monks in British India,' the author mentioned that certain peasant and artisan castes underwent a move towards 'kshatriya-isation' that involved, among other things, an encouragement of sati among their women and discouragement of widow remarriage. What's often annoying about feminist, 'secular' types is that they often take their own usually high-caste mores as normative, while ignoring the fact that other communities might have had different standards - Mehta's 'there are 33 million widows in India' is a prime example of this.</p> Regarding the historical treatment of widows in India, I remember reading somewhere that, according to colonial census takers, only 15% of Hindu castes forbade widow remarriage. In William Pinch’s ‘Peasants and Monks in British India,’ the author mentioned that certain peasant and artisan castes underwent a move towards ‘kshatriya-isation’ that involved, among other things, an encouragement of sati among their women and discouragement of widow remarriage. What’s often annoying about feminist, ‘secular’ types is that they often take their own usually high-caste mores as normative, while ignoring the fact that other communities might have had different standards – Mehta’s ‘there are 33 million widows in India’ is a prime example of this.

]]> By: technophobicgeek http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2006/05/05/fun_with_the_re/comment-page-2/#comment-60932 technophobicgeek Mon, 08 May 2006 03:45:49 +0000 http://sepiamutiny.com?p=3341#comment-60932 <p>Here's the video on Youtube</p> <p>http://youtube.com/watch?v=1GXVo77WNjk&search=Kuch%20to%20hua%20hai</p> <p>Watch at time 00:36.</p> Here’s the video on Youtube

http://youtube.com/watch?v=1GXVo77WNjk&search=Kuch%20to%20hua%20hai

Watch at time 00:36.

]]> By: technophobicgeek http://sepiamutiny.com/blog/2006/05/05/fun_with_the_re/comment-page-2/#comment-60931 technophobicgeek Mon, 08 May 2006 03:26:04 +0000 http://sepiamutiny.com?p=3341#comment-60931 <blockquote>Where was this? I must have missed it entirely (unless you're talking about the faux gay relationship that Saif Ali Khan and Shahrukh Khan had...or the thing with the dog :)</blockquote> <p>This was in the first few scenes of the song 'Kuch to hua hai', which has random shots of lovey-dovey couples: one old couple on a bench, a pair of kids, a harley-riding leather-clad biker pair and these two white dudes.</p> <p>The faux gay thing was kinda homophobic by American standards, but still I was glad they even brought the topic up for discussion. For my parents and several of my friends, it was quite bewildering at the beginning (what's wrong with two guys sleeping in the same bed?) and I had to explain things to them...hmmmm. Unfortunately it seems that there's no way to introduce a discourse about homosexuality without a corresponding male homosexual panic :( Sad.</p> Where was this? I must have missed it entirely (unless you’re talking about the faux gay relationship that Saif Ali Khan and Shahrukh Khan had…or the thing with the dog :)

This was in the first few scenes of the song ‘Kuch to hua hai’, which has random shots of lovey-dovey couples: one old couple on a bench, a pair of kids, a harley-riding leather-clad biker pair and these two white dudes.

The faux gay thing was kinda homophobic by American standards, but still I was glad they even brought the topic up for discussion. For my parents and several of my friends, it was quite bewildering at the beginning (what’s wrong with two guys sleeping in the same bed?) and I had to explain things to them…hmmmm. Unfortunately it seems that there’s no way to introduce a discourse about homosexuality without a corresponding male homosexual panic :( Sad.

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