India 1

The Partition of India.

     It all started with two countries: one in control of the other. Britain had power over India until after World War II, when they became a financial train wreck like most everyone after the war. Previously, India had struggled under Britain's rule, like a caged bird. This was soon to change. With so little money, Britain could not retain control over India and restore their own Economy at the same time. They had to let India go. 

     Muslims were the minority of the population and so they feared they would be unfairly treated and taken advantage of once India became independent. Already, their was much segregation. For example, Muslims could not drink from the same water tap as Hindus. The segregation was as distinct as the gulf between african americans and caucasians in the United States after the Civil War. 

     Lahore was like a safe haven to the Muslims before the Partition of India. It was a beautiful city with a population consisting mostly of Muslims. A center for education and fashion, the city was very innovative and tolerant. To the muslims, who faced prejudice almost everywhere they went, it was like a different realm.  

     What was the Partition of India? because of their status among Hindus, Muslims started to press for their own individual state. They wanted Britain to give them a portion of India to independently rule. At first Britain was hesitant, but after it became clear the Muslims and Hindus would not live in harmony, they gave in. The new state was named Pakistan because 'pak' means pure and 'stan' means place: pure place. The first leader of Pakistan became Mohammed Ali Jinnah.

Awaara Hoon.

     Awaara Hoon is a song from the movie Awara, made in 1951. In the song and video a young indian man must live on the streets and steal to survive, but he is, never-the-less, jolly. The main ideal I took from this song is that even when things are rough, one should be joyful. Russians took comfort in this ideal, because they were experiencing a lot of turmoil after World War II. They could also see that India had more problems than they(recovering from the war and the Partition of India) and yet they had that attitude. It was probably very encouraging for the Russians. 

If I were from America, and I was visiting India in the 1950's this might be my response:

     What can I say? I wish i could say I was in love with the land and the people, but India is not the India of my dreams. The economy and government is crippled so that there is little law and order. There are prostitutes lurking. Muslims are treated unequally. But what good does it do for me to complain? Instead, I will focus on the parts of my trip I enjoyed most. 

     The women wear beautiful saris over simple blouses. Saris are often lined with gold or silver and they are always very colorful. How they flow and drape is almost fantastical. Almost all the women wear black eye liner which gives them a sense of mystery. Jewelry covers them head to toe: anklets, belly piercings, bracelets, rings, necklaces, hair clips. Even babies have some kind of jewelry somewhere on their body almost all of the time. As pretty as it is, it can also be somewhat gaudy.

     The food is not what I expected. I was sure it would be overly rich and lacking in vegetables. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised. most of the food was not as unhealthy as I had thought it would be and there was a plethora of unique vegetables and greens in every dish. Admittedly, there were some dishes that were either too hot for my palette or a little too exotic to sit right with me, but overall, the dishes I had were very satisfactory.