The perception of India is vastly changing with modernization emerging alongside India’s former traditions. Mira Nair does this quite well in her film Monsoon wedding (2001). The use of Hindi and the English language adapt to its western viewers as well as its Indian viewers. Mira Nair also illustrates a family background that is rare in a traditional Indian family. Some family members from the Verma family are from different parts of the world; including the groom who is an engineer from Houston, C.L Chandra who is a wealthy businessman in Bombay and his son that resides in Australia. The mix of western culture within tradition puts a spin on this Bollywood film. Mira Nair explores the immense amount of modernization through particular scenes of character interaction, the use of modern advancements and the depicting images you encounter throughout the movie, but yet still holds onto India’s traditions.
Ria Verma portrays a modernized younger generation in Monsoon Wedding because her dream is to study creative writing in America. In the scene where Ria and Aditi are in a cab, Ria says, “I can tell you what I think and I will.” This shows that she has strong emotions towards what Aditi is doing. She believes in marrying someone you love which she belives may never happen in an arranged marriage. This scene shows its viewers that Aditi can be both modern and traditional. She reads cosmopolitan magazines and is having an affair with a married man which we can assume is more modern, but yet when talking about marriage she says, “My older, unmarried cousin Ria” which depicts the traditional side of her. Aditi thinks that getting married is the right thing to do and it is what is expected of her at this age and shames Ria for not havi...
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“Clothing in India”. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 20 May 2014. Web. 23 May 2014: < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing_in_India>.
Kemp, Phillip. “Monsoon Wedding.” Sight and Sound 1 12. 1 (Jan. 2002): 50. Web. 25 May 2014: < http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=217c09fd-beec-44da-bdcf-dcd7d8f99280%40sessionmgr111&vid=6&hid=102>.
Monsoon Wedding. By Sabrina Dhawan. Dir. Mira Nair. USA Films, 11 Sept. 2001. DVD.
Sharpe, Jenny. “Gender, Nation, and Globalizaion in Monsoon wedding and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.” Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism 6.1 (Oct. 2005): 58-81.Web. 23 May 2014: .
In chapter five of Suitably Modern, Mark Liechty discusses the action of “doing fashion” and how it affects the middle class and consumption in Kathmandu. Chapter five poses the question; what is new and what is not? This concerns the class distinctions and if modernization is actually occurring. The middle class in Kathmandu is claiming its own domain through clothing and ostracizing themselves. The author deems this action as adornment he defines it by stating, “It is used to set individuals and groups apart from some and to signal sameness”. Adornment can be a class distinction but also a gender role distinction. Women practice adornment to be indifferent in their relationships with men. For example women can chose to use flashier make-up which can distinguish a married woman from an unmarried woman. Liechty associates fashion with freedom. Film coming to Kathmandu quickly generated the modernization of fashion and consumption. Films exposed the residents to different types of fashion. Ultimately, the middle class wants its own cultural zone; through fashion and consumption it hopes to completely fit in with one another and still be distinct from other classes.
Jess’s continued pursuit of football is perceived by her mother as being oppositional or rebellious, rather than a career choice or dream. The generational differences between Jess and her mother are transparent when her mother questions, “What family would want a daughter-in-law who can run around kicking a football all day but can’t make round chapatis?”(Mrs. Bhamra). In Jess’s culture, it is expected that marriage be a top priority, which her mother stress over any other aspects of Jess’s life. This idea of marriage is stemmed from her family's desire for security and comfortability, which Jess is very unconcerned about during this period of her life. Mrs. Bhamra’s traditional beliefs cause her to be unaware of her daughters true potential which in turn hinders their relationship. Jess’s sister also has trouble recognizing the differences of Jess and her family when she asks, “Jess don’t you want all of this? This is the best day of your life, innit?” in which Jess replies, “I want more than this”(Pinky/Jess). Although typically girls in Indian culture dream of the day they are wed, Jess does not fit into this social understanding which creates a barrier between her and the other women of her
In the Indian culture, marriage is different from another culture's point of view. In the film Ravi decides to break a two year relationship from an American woman before he attended his family trip to India, which coincides with
He constantly looks at Raj, transmitting unsaid thoughts between them and a non-verbal progressing acknowledgment from Sim’s father to Raj. When he finally approves her relationship, this becomes literally the transfer from one patriarch to another. Also problematic in the mise-en-scene is the gold luxurious wedding dress Simran is wearing during this exchange. It reasserts the information that she is a middle-class diasporic woman, again concentrating on rich diasporic NRIs audiences. Simran runs towards Raj, finally being able to chase after her love.
In the article Arranging a Marriage in India, Serena Nanda, a professor of Anthropology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, writes about what she learned about arranged marriages in India from interviewing informants and participating in arranging a marriage herself. Nanda brought in some American biases about how marriage and love are “supposed” to work. She initially had trouble accepting why someone would want or let another arrange their marriage instead of seeking a partner themselves. Nanda’s difficulty understanding arranged marriages, is a result of having grown up in a culture that leaves such decisions to the individual. Furthermore, if the quotes given in the article are an indication, Nanda let her biases influence her conduct
Peacock, John. The Chronicle of Western Fashion: From Ancient times to the Present Day. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1991. Print.
Jhumpa Lahiri, the author of the story, “The Third and Final Continent,” grew up being aware of conflicting expectations from two different countries. As Jhumpa mentioned, “I was expected to be Indian by Indians and Americans by Americans (Lahiri, pg 50).” The Third and Final Continent leaves the reader with a positive notion of the immigrant experience in America. The narrator recalls his school days in London, rooming with other foreign Bengalis, and trying to settle in this new world. He talks about how when he was 36 years old when his own marriage was arranged and he first flew to Calcutta, to attend his wedding. This statement is unique because it depicts the differences between an American culture and an Indian culture. At the time of marriage he is 36 years old and he didn’t pick who he wanted to get married to. Marriage in India is something that most parents set compared to other countries where they can marry someone of choice. Indians settle down by an arranged marriage ma...
The Hindu wedding is a complex ceremony whose various components has all a specific meaning and has all a relation to
The short story “Clothes” by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is about a young Indian woman, Sumita, and her cultural transition to America that is symbolized by her clothes and the color of her clothes. The traditional Indian attire for a woman is a sari and each one has its own purpose. Her clothes also indicate her progression from daughter, to wife, to woman.
In the late 18th century the Industrial Revolution occurred causing a huge shift in the ways in which clothing was produced and subsequently altering the ways in which clothing was perceived. For decades preceding industrialisation men and women of high so...
“Monsoon Wedding” is a party arthouse, party Bollywood film which deals with the leadup to the wedding of two young people, Aditi and Hermant. It combines their story with that of Aditi’s father, Lalit, and his family responsibilities, as well as the events occurring in the lives of their servants, Dubey and Alice. This combining of multiple storylines into one cohesive narrative is one of the characteristics of Bollywood films.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy tells the story of the communist state of Kerala and the forbidden love between two castes, which changes the lives of everyone. In the novel an ‘Untouchable’, Velutha is a carpenter and works at Paradise Pickles and Preserves for much less than he deserves because of his status as an Untouchable in the caste system. Velutha falls into a forbidden love with a divorced woman, Ammu who is associated with an upper caste Syrian Christian Ipe family. Marriage was the only way that Ammu could have escaped this life, but she lost the chance when marrying the wrong man, as he was an alcoholic and this resulted in them getting a divorce. Ammu breaks the laws that state ‘who should be loved, and how and how much’, as their affair threatens the ‘caste system’ in India, which is a hierarchal structure and social practice in India in which your position in society is determined and can’t be changed. Arhundati Roy portrays the theme of forbidden love within the caste systems and shows how they are t...
In this short story the protagonist is a newly married Indian woman who is attending a party with her husband’s western friends. Throughout the short story the reader senses her anxiety of being introduced to people who are not as conservative as her. “She longed for the sanctuary of the walled home from which marriage had promised an adventurous escape. Each restricting rule became a guiding stone marking a safe path through unknown dangers” ("The First Party"). In this quote, the narrator explains how the Indian woman did not feel comfortable or at ease with this new world she had been introduced too. She fiend to be back home but because of her tie that she made to this man through marriage she is in her mind, stuck with him. In addition to her anxiety of being with non-conservative woman, who drank, smoked, dressed provocatively, and had painted nails, the protagonist grew angry in her own head. “She had been so sure of herself in her contempt and her anger, confident of the righteousness of her beliefs, deep-based on generations-old foundations” ("The First Party"). Is this the way that the Indian people reacted to British colonialism? The things that western people found normal, was this disrespectful to the Indian people. The protagonist surely thought it was and was certain that her anger was not misplaced. She felt as her anger was a sign of her strong faith. She came to the realization that her husband was someone who would challenge her beliefs but above all she knew that her beliefs state that her life must be one with his (“The First Party”). This realization must be heartbreaking, to realize that one 's comfort is not found in their life partner. The protagonist was raised to believe that her life must be one with her husband, that she is
From a historic point of view, Western travelers had remarked on the slow pace of lifestyle and fashion change in Turkey and Persia. On the other hand, many people were of the opinion that the western culture is getting out of hand in terms of dressing fashion (Cumming 234). In most cases, change of fashion and dressing style took place hand in hand with economic and social changes. In the developing world, changes in fashion began with the coming of the whites in Middle East. Changes began in the 11th century when the Turks came to central Asia and Far East. In Europe, continuous change in clothing fashion is believed to have started in middle 14th century. It started by a sudden introduction of shortening and tightening of male garments, it further brought the introduction of trousers and leggings that were worn by men (Cumming 235). After the advent of change in men fashion, it was followed by changes in female c...
As a matter of fact, a sofa with all the electronics needs from phone-net surfing is a dream come true for many fashion gadget lovers out there. Nevertheless, taking a bird’s eye on trends of fashion in Pakistan in the 21st century, we come to know that not only fashion industry is growing day by day but also people of every age group are tremendously attracting towards itand especially women are more influencing by dint of it. Interestingly so, people are now more conscious what to wear in conferences, parties, religious festivals, birthday and marriage ceremonies and Valentine’s Day. Womenare increasingly attracted towards embroiderkurta with jeans, trousers, tight half sleeve and sleeveless shirts with Capri trousers have also been adopted by them.It is worn with different sleeve length, shirt length, necklines and different types of shalwars like patiala shalwar, churidar pajama,kurtas and Maxis dress is very in these days and it is the best dress for young girls. Khaddi has given lot of range to its customers. Fabia dress, Mayla shoes, felicity bracelet, Sara bag and stylish hijab are very common. As far as men fashion is concerned, the plum poly silk kurta is getting much attention. The men can choose between many styles but this style is the must for the men who want to look decent yet trendy