Well, now, for the social message in yesterday's episode.
Is there a difference in the treatment of daughters by male-headed families as opposed to female-headed families? In the series, we have Geet and Nandini representing the daughters of the male-headed and female-headed families respectively. In several aspects, Nandini is much better placed. She is allowed greater freedom than was allowed to Geet. We are told that she is pursuing her education in the city. Though her mother is not very pleased with the influences of city life on her, she was still allowed to continue her education in the city.
Yet, there is one commonality. The families would like to marry off their daughters at the earliest possible opportunity. The male-headed family did it to Geet. The female-headed family appears all set to do it to Nandini.
We are told that Nandini is studying. She refers to Geet as didi. This means that Nandini is barely 18. And, we have Aunt Gurvinder Kaur and family who cajole her into keeping the Karwa Chauth fast for a good husband. Even Uncle Jugnu -- the man whose memory is lost in the haze of alcohol -- remembers that she ought to be married off as soon as possible. We are told that Aunt Gurvinder Kaur has already chosen a prospective groom for her daughter. Aunt Gurvinder Kaur and Brother Teji have approved of the prospective groom and think that he is a perfect match for the daughter of their family. And what do they do in such a scenario? They devise a way to exclude the girl completely from the decision that would completely alter her life. Under the guise of attending a marriage, the daughter is sent off. And why was she sent off to the marriage? The reasoning offered was that, the prospective groom, who would also be at the marriage, could see her and decide whether or not he wanted to marry her. And if he was agreeable to the marriage, they would marry her off to him. Not a word of whether their daughter would be allowed to assess whether or not she wanted the prospective groom as her groom. Not a word of whether her aspirations for the future would be taken into consideration. Well, at least, Geet knew that a prospective groom was coming to see her.
And, that brings me to the animal fair analogy. Uncle Jugnu and Lucky were on their way to the animal fair, where they would inspect the animals and purchase one which would be to their liking. The animals would be voiceless (in respect of communication with humans). They would have no say in determining whether or not they wanted to be owned by Uncle Jugnu or Lucky, the new owners who would determine the course of the animal's life. So also, we have yet another voiceless animal (Nandini) sent off to the animal fair (marriage) so that prospective purchaser (prospective groom) could inspect her, decide whether they wanted to own her and determine the future course of her life.
Yet another dialogue that struck a chord. Uncle Jugnu referred to the uncle in Toronto, who could have invested in the tea stalls in the jungle. Again, was this a deliberate reference to the fascination that NRIs hold for Indians? The very same NRI fascination that led to the destruction of Geet's life.
So, do the creatives want to tell us some thing? I am not sure. But I hope that, at least on this, the creatives give voice to Nandini and allow her to object to such an arrangement and to object to her family excluding her from decisions affecting her life. And, in this, I hope that Maan and Geet would prove to be her staunch supporters. But, based on past experience, I would not be surprised if it is Dev, who will point this out to Nandini's family and who will support her.
Edited by hegdemedha - 12 years ago
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