india: traditional patterns of life
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India: Traditional Patterns of Life. “The traditional patterns of life in India revolve around the idea of duty”. Closure. What are the drawbacks and benefits in a society where role and duties are clearly defined? What role does the idea of duty play in your life?. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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India: Traditional
Patterns of Life“The traditional patterns of life in India
revolve around the idea of duty”
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Closure
• What are the drawbacks and benefits in a society where role and duties are clearly defined?
• What role does the idea of duty play in your life?
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Doing one’s duty ensures the moral order
of the universe
It’s better to do one’s own duty badly than another’s duty well
Introduction to Caste Video show later
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Caste/Family Life/Village Life
• All gave a person a role in society and rules to live by to ignore would disrupt society
• Gives structure
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Why has the caste system existed for so long?
• Caste system deeply embedded in custom, and religious tradition.
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The Caste System
• According to the sacred texts (Vedas)
• Rigid system of social groups based on birth
• 1: Brahmans – the priests/religious leaders who recite and learn the Vedas
• 2: Kshatriyas – warriors, leaders, nobles, landowners
• 3: Vaisyas – merchants and traders
• 4: Sudras – those who work with their hands, included farmers, artisans, carpenters, etc.
• 5: Untouchables (Harijan/Dalit) - included morticians and anyone who did unclean things, homeless
• Harijan: Children of God
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Caste• not based on wealth• Gave role in society on rules to live by• Seen as holding a diverse group together
• Divides today
• 1000’s of castes • Within castes there were levels, called jati –
subcaste
• For example, in the Vaisya caste, a store owner would be higher than a traveling merchant. In most cases, same rules of interaction would apply
• Caste based partly on occupation
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Caste Rules
• Complex – Laws of Manu
• Meant to keep people spiritually pure = moksha
• Rule more strict for higher castes
• Protect from spiritual pollution
• Rules govern: cooking, eating habits, marriage, employment, clothing, worship, manners
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Caste Rules
• Interactions between castes were limited, most interaction was top down• Clappers for lower castes – shadow impure• Marriage limited to own caste and even jati
• Each caste even has dietary restrictions• Brahmans are vegetarians
• eat only food prepared by other Brahman• Other castes could be limited to certain
meats and spices
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Caste Rules
•Manners: • greet in certain ways• lower caste not sit in presence of higher caste• Even names
•Each caste had a council to enforce caste rules• Caste Panchayat: self-governing of an Indian caste
•Created interdependence: stability and order• Castes looked after their own but depended on
other castes •Caste video – Caste Video YouTube 5 minutes
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Village Life• Most common• Basic unit of society – varied in size – variety of
castes• Headman:
• governed the village – landlord – inherited position
• Made decisions – organized work projects• Self-sufficient = all jobs based on caste• Landlord: controlled most land
• Tenant farming: paid with part of harvest• Cattle economic importance: plowing,
transportation, milk products• Ghee – clarifies butter use in cooking and
religious ceremonies
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Pandit Roop Chand, headman of Tajpur village
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Other Aspects of Early Hindu Life
• Family• Identified first with family• Joint families (everyone lived together) – like
extended family• The eldest male led the family (patriarchal) –
may consult with wife• Property belonged to every member of the
family
Father Knows Best
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Other Aspects of Early Hindu Life
• Children and Parents• Children learned from their parents (how to
follow their caste)• Arranged marriages: page 192
• Children little or no say
• to benefit family
• girls became part of husband's family
• In some parts of India, the marriage of a daughter included a dowry: gift to groom's family
• Higher the caste more costly
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Other Aspects of Early Hindu Life• Women
• Few rights – obey husband• Duties: marry, wait on husband, bear sons• Influence within the family
• Shakti: creative energy – women had but men controlled – men incomplete without women
• Higher castes: purdah: seclusion• public had to be covered (like Muslims)
• Sati/Suttee – virtuous women• ritual suicide when a husband died
• Banned by British during 1829
• Legally from 1856 widows were allowedto remarry
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Closure
• What are the drawbacks and benefits in a society where role and duties are clearly defined?
• What role does the idea of duty play in your life?