http://www.tubetamil.com/view_video.php?viewkey=a8fef4af5e35709ecca1&page=1&viewtype=&category
a most entertaining show. thank you appai for introducing this to me.
i have been out of india for over 34 years, and am in my late 50s. to me, this show was an eye opener for sheer entertainment value.
here in the west, for all public entertainment participation shows, they go through an elaborate ritual of vetting out the participants. only participants who have been perceived as entertainment value are selected. this to the best of my knowledge. not sure, if the participants here in this show, went through a similar selection process.
the youth in question may have been selected on the basis of their beliefs, and need not necessarily represent the majority view of the populace. just imagine if all of the participants said that they will follow tradition, marry the partner chosen by the parent, and undergo traditional ceremonies.
no story of interest there. then there is no show. only when there is discord, there is some interest. this is a public t.v. show made for entertainment.
it looked like all the participants were educated and urbanized. i could not differentiate the caste of the participants except the girl who identified herself as an iyengar.
my own perception is that as we get more prosperous, the kaLai automatically affixes to us, and bedevils those of us who try to define an individual by his supposed aura. it is a good thing for our society at large for this to happen.
from viewing the show, it appears that jaathi is a universal reality in india. assuming that the audience in the show came from a cross section, it was almost universal that all parents decided to stick to their jaathis when it came to spouses for their children.
thus, i think, that marriage in india, is still considered a union of families within the same community, with the two individuals concerned, relegated to 'significant participants', but not necessarily the defining ones. family compatibility and social acceptance and loss of face, appear to be the reigning values. i may be out of date here.
when there is two competing communities involved in the participation of the life of the couple, it is indeed much easier to live when both are from the same background. less stress. less tension. otherwise, it is a recipe for disaster. as was borne out by the police guy's testimony on the show.
maybe we need to talk more with our children, and provide them with the skillset to find their spouses, if they ever show a sign of restlessness or independent view as to selection of a spouse. absence of this, results in them falling head over heals with the first encounter. this is all they know. the movies and tv shows being their teaching resources for this knowledge.
we as parents, probably maintain a noble silence on this topic. again, times may have changed, and i may be wrong. gaining our children's confidence, is probably our biggest gift. it does not come easy, and involves a lot of hard work and patience and an extra ordinary latitude for discord.
for any intercaste marriage to even have a chance of success, considering the prevailing indian attitudes, it is best the young elope and move out of the country. at the least move to a different state. the couple could probably make a go of it, if the families do not intrude. and religion. and food. adjustments are the order of the day, but the ensuing happiness would be worth it. i think.
such of us here, who anguish over intermingling, would do well, to win the confidence of their children, and to step through the possible scenarios, in a calm and polite way, so that the message gets across. point blank disapproval is not always effective.
others of us, who have no such restrictions over intermingling, would do well, to let the young find their own equilibrium in their lives, and ensure that their right to explore and achieve contentment at whatever state it may be, is respected.
apart from the shell shock of the price of those displayed saris, once again, i am confirming my faith, that the sari is a truly socialistic attire, when elegantly draped, would bring tun tun on par with aishwarya rai.
socialism in all its shades has been proved to be an absolute zero. except when it comes to the sari. the same sari looks good across the board and enhances the attired one, if properly done. good stuff.