Just watched ‘Vicky Donor’ yesterday. While I have already
heard and read a lot about the different subject, great story and crisp performances
in the movie, what I liked the most is the way the Punjabi-Bengali marriage was
dealt with. It is an agony how almost
all the Hindi movies easily neglect a subject this important.
Unless, you or someone in your close family has tied an
inter-caste knot, you will not understand the challenges that come along. We
being the middle class Indian have a pre-conceived notion about every other
caste in the society except the one we belong to. We have made it a habit to
think that only the things we do, the food we eat, and the customs we follow
are right while the food, habits, customs, and even the language that other
caste people speak are inferior to ours.
For instance, a North-Indian feels that South India is all
about idli, dosa, coconut oil and dark skinned people. On the other hand, a South-Indian’s
view of North India is about spicy food, Taj Mahal, and loud, ill-mannered
people who are habitual of using slangs in every other sentence they speak.
While these notions/views may not be entirely right or wrong, the point I am
trying to make here is that we do not care to explore. We are happy with what
we know or rather what we believe.
All these views and beliefs are shaken when someone from
your family want to marry someone from other caste. While it is easy to make
notions as an outsider, it is difficult for us to accept an OUTSIDER as an
integral part of our family. Thanks to the changing scenario (and IT jobs in
metros), more and more Indian are going for inter-caste marriage. Let us
consider this as a positive sign and our first step towards exploring or giving
a chance to understand other caste before criticizing it.
