india - Jezebel

posts about #india more →
The Dow Industrial Outrage
India's Child Brides Say "I Don't"
Arrivals, Departures
A (Chat) Room Of One's Own For India's "Third Sex"
That's The Spirit
Step By Step
Sight + Sound
Many Splendored Things
The Writing On The Wall
The Queen's English

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yvanehtnioj
11/13/09

In reply to India's Child Brides Say "I Don't"
If that face doesn't say "Quit taking my f*cking picture!" I don't know what does. #childmarriageindia
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sybann
11/13/09

In reply to India's Child Brides Say "I Don't"
Women as property - chattel. More like cattle. #childmarriageindia
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Kivrin
11/13/09

In reply to India's Child Brides Say "I Don't"
The world makes me very sad sometimes*.

*Every day
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Edited by Kivrin at 11/13/09 1:46 PM Kivrin was starred Kivrin was unstarred

Hooplehead
11/13/09

In reply to India's Child Brides Say "I Don't"
"In 1992, Bhanwari Devi, a village woman working for a nonprofit group, was gang-raped after she tried to prevent a child marriage. The accused men were acquitted on the grounds that "upper caste men, including a Brahmin, would not rape a woman of a lower caste," according to the court ruling."

Seriously, WTF India? The fact that the caste system is being used as a rape defense shouldn't surprise me, but somehow still does. #childmarriageindia
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LexiD523
11/13/09

@Hooplehead: I was under the impression that the caste system had been abolished, and therefore would not be a legally valid defense. #childmarriageindia
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KaneBaker
11/13/09

@LexiD523: I know someone here in north america that was disowned by her family of doctors after she married an indian guy in IT (not up to par with the doctors caste). Than her family proceeded to send her bills for the education they paid for, since she was not their daughter any more.

I like diverse culture, but hey India, the caste system is fucking stupid. It's alive and well in North America never mind India. #childmarriageindia
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Hooplehead
11/13/09

@LexiD523: According to the ruling quoted above in the LAT, it was valid enough to get the scumbags off. #childmarriageindia
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Erda
11/13/09

@KaneBaker: It's like racial segregation here in America. Sure, it's not legally mandated anymore, but the de facto barriers are still there.

I thought the caste system was gone with the wind too, until I realized all my Indian-American friends (who all come from affluent, well-educated backgrounds) are Brahmins or Kshatriyas.* The lower castes aren't the ones with the resources to make it into the top universities and then get jobs as doctors or engineers in America.

*"Priest" and "warrior" castes, for those not as familiar with Indian culture. The two highest castes. #childmarriageindia
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rikki-tikki-tavi
11/13/09

@Erda: My family's from the lowest caste possible in India, and yet they have tons of money in their family. Enough that my great grandfather started a non-profit K-12 and college for underprivileged girls and women, and my father recently paying the start up cost and building for non-profit university for underprivileged Indian children.
There is also laws in lots of places in India which are affirmative action but for low caste students. Mandating that a certain percentage of seats are only given to low caste students.

Your friends being of similar caste has to do more with their family's social circle. I know tons of poor Brahmins and Kshatriyas (just like I've seen very dark Brahmins, and my grandmother is as light as most 'white' women in the US).

Sadly, America isn't as good as it use to be in trying to break the economic ties of professionals. In recent years more students are limited into entering medical and law school from how much money their family makes. #childmarriageindia
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Marken.Baker
11/13/09

@Hooplehead: I'm not surprised. No matter what the Indian gov. says the caste system is alive and well. My husband is a Brahman and his family takes the caste system very seriously and did all sorts of awful things to try to break us up including on the day we got married. They thought they'd get to pick him a Brahman bride from their subcaste and him getting married to a WASP was definitely not what they had planned.
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Hana Maru
11/13/09

@LexiD523: Caste has been abolished by the constitution, and discrimination is illega. There is also some affirmative action for the dalits, but it's still well entrenched in the culture and Hindu religion. #childmarriageindia
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Erda
11/13/09

@rikki-tikki-tavi: Sorry for the misunderstanding. I had also been told by my friends that most affluent Indian-Americans are Brahmins or Kshatriyas, so I wasn't just jumping to conclusions, but apparently they were.

It's nice to see that the caste system is not as rigid as I thought it was, though apparently there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. #childmarriageindia
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kavitabk
11/14/09

@Hooplehead: Not only that but upper-caste men are ESPECIALLY likely to rape Dalit and other lower-caste women. As we know rape is a tool of exerting power, control and authority over a vulnerable person, that is exactly what this situation was all about. Not to mention the literally countless incidents of gang rape and murder of Dalits by upper-caste people. #childmarriageindia
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Kivrin
11/13/09

In reply to India's Child Brides Say "I Don't"
I'm curious about the justification for legal marrying age being 21 for males and 18 for females. #childmarriageindia
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PhDelish
11/13/09

@Kivrin: I doubt it's the whole "boys take longer to mature" thing - I think that's probably a culture specific aphorism. I don't know, either! #childmarriageindia
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mariamariamaria
11/12/09

In reply to Arrivals, Departures
"I'm tellin' ya Mabel, baby smell is the ultimate aromatherapy!" #indiamuslims
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pesematology
11/12/09

In reply to That's The Spirit
If by "spirit" you mean eyeshadow, then yes it is. #yidghachoezin
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Kivrin
11/10/09

In reply to Sight + Sound
I saw the Dalai Lama when he visited Emory University a few years ago. He is awesome. I keep meaning to make myself a bracelet that says "WWHHDLD?" (HHDL = His Holiness the Dalai Lama) #dalailama
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Lizabelle
11/10/09

@Kivrin: I saw him at UMich a few years back! So awesome! #dalailama
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LBB
10/29/09

In reply to Many Splendored Things
Those are so beautiful I think my brain just broke. #willsindiafashionweek
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LadyFabulous
10/29/09

In reply to Many Splendored Things
So one of my besties is getting married next summer and she is going to India to buy all her wedding clothes because it's cheaper. And as her wedding planner/maid-of-honour/MC she's going to bring me back a sari. Now I can tell her what I want! #willsindiafashionweek
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TheUptightMidwesterner
10/29/09

In reply to Many Splendored Things
I will take one of everything, please!
Including Urmila. #willsindiafashionweek
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marshmallory
10/29/09

In reply to Many Splendored Things
I went to the wedding of an Indian friend this summer and I was so, so jealous of the bright red and gold, sparkly, gorgeous sari she wore. And the sweet henna tattoos all over her hands. And the gold headdress. Ok fine, I was jealous of everything. #willsindiafashionweek
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Zombie Ms. Skittles
10/29/09

In reply to Many Splendored Things
I really wish there was some kind of Indian heritage festival anywhere near me, because I would KILL for a chance to purchase a sari even if I only got to wear it in my house. #willsindiafashionweek
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Pandorasvoicebox
10/29/09

@Zombie Ms. Skittles: Where do you live? There usually is. #willsindiafashionweek
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AndPreciousLittleofThat
10/29/09

@Zombie Ms. Skittles: Does your city have an Indian section? There's a great area on Devon Avenue in Chicago that's filled with saris, Indian jewelry, and some of the best food in town. Oh, and pashminas, though no word if they are nautically-themed. #willsindiafashionweek
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Zombie Ms. Skittles
10/29/09

@Pandorasvoicebox: I live near Houston. I know we don't have one in my town and I don't actually ever know what's going on in the city, but you're right that there probably is one in Houston. #willsindiafashionweek
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Pandorasvoicebox
10/29/09

@Zombie Ms. Skittles: There is probably an "Indian heritage festival" in Houston, but regardless, the Indian community in Houston is huge so even if there isn't one central "festival" there is definitely shit going on continuously. Hit up the Indian grocery stores (there's probably at least a dozen since Houston's a big city) because they usually post advertisements for various Indian events going on locally (movies, concerts, services, sales, etc.) Sari shops are another good choice, so ask around to find one, or shamelessly ask one of your Indian friends to bring you back a good sari from India if they visit. And if you want a two-in-one cultural experience, check out a temple or a Hindu mission center. I know there are some in Houston. #willsindiafashionweek
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la.donna.pietra
10/29/09

In reply to The Writing On The Wall
For a minute, I thought the caption referred to Mahatma Gandhi, and I got seriously confused.

Poor Gurdeep. I can't even imagine how awful that must have been, and must still be. #sikhriots
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frugal
10/29/09

In reply to The Queen's English
As handsome as Wallis. #buckinghampalace
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