04-23-2007, 02:58 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-SwamyG+Apr 23 2007, 08:08 AM-->QUOTE(SwamyG @ Apr 23 2007, 08:08 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--> I do not think a Hindu is leading a double life per se. He is not afraid to lead a Hindu life in private or public.
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No Swamy G.
That was not how it used to be. The most apt description I have found is in Robert Kanigel's biography of the mathematician Ramanujam where he describes the Hindus man's work appearance and behavior and his home where his wife and family are different. He wears trousers to work and may eat with a fork an knife. At home he switches to dhoti, sits on the floor and eats off a plaintain leaf using his fingers.
The description gelled in well with the life of my own grandfather, and fits in with another book that I have promised to post excerpts from.
The Hindu way of life and memes were protected by sacrificing the man's habits and clothes and etiquette. The man adopted alien ways and dress, while the woman made a counter sacrifice to keep the culture flame burning at home. This is definitely part of what I see as an untold Hindu narrative.
Remnants of that age are visible even today. Look at a party of Indians - typically family get together photos of NRIs in the US where parents are invited for say Diwali. The elderly Indian men are in trousers and maybe even suits, while their wives typically wear saris or salwar kameez.
It is only now that Indian men are going back to their roots fearlessly and wearing "ethnic" clothes while women are experimenting with Western dress, particularly in India.
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No Swamy G.
That was not how it used to be. The most apt description I have found is in Robert Kanigel's biography of the mathematician Ramanujam where he describes the Hindus man's work appearance and behavior and his home where his wife and family are different. He wears trousers to work and may eat with a fork an knife. At home he switches to dhoti, sits on the floor and eats off a plaintain leaf using his fingers.
The description gelled in well with the life of my own grandfather, and fits in with another book that I have promised to post excerpts from.
The Hindu way of life and memes were protected by sacrificing the man's habits and clothes and etiquette. The man adopted alien ways and dress, while the woman made a counter sacrifice to keep the culture flame burning at home. This is definitely part of what I see as an untold Hindu narrative.
Remnants of that age are visible even today. Look at a party of Indians - typically family get together photos of NRIs in the US where parents are invited for say Diwali. The elderly Indian men are in trousers and maybe even suits, while their wives typically wear saris or salwar kameez.
It is only now that Indian men are going back to their roots fearlessly and wearing "ethnic" clothes while women are experimenting with Western dress, particularly in India.