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Essay

Angels in search of heaven
Sumaiya Ahsan Bushra
Ever since the fall of mankind, there has been constant discrimination amongst the two sexes, male and female. Universally men have dominated and have created a society they could rein in, which is commonly referred to as the male patriarchal society. The patriarchal society has established its rights on women and has long repressed them. It has exposed women to mental torture which eventually has led to physical oppression and death. Deepa Mehta, in her film Water, portrays this concept of a male dominated patriarchal society and the repression of women from a south Asian perspective. In her film, she scrutinises the lives of Indian widows and their tragic ending.
On this note, earlier feminists have debated the issue of repression. But feminists have limited themselves to the problems of upper class white women. The wider areas of problems (religious and social) which are faced by women all over the world have been overlooked by the elite feminists. Gayatri Spivak on this issue says that these feminists have received their information about South East Asia from other feminists with similar background. The reality of the truth is often filtered and these women (the upper class feminists) are not aware of the situation of women in the East.
The film begins with the scene of an eight year old called called Chuiya. Chuiya is sent to live in the ashram for widows after the death of her husband. She encounters Madhumati, who is an agent of the male patriarchal society. Her views are stringent but she bends the rules according to her own needs.
Madhumati tells Chuiya that a woman is a part of a man and that after a woman's husband dies; part of the woman also dies with him. This is the first instance where Mehta shows what happens to a woman mentally when her husband dies. A woman
should not feel remorse or should not look for freedom when her husband dies. She should accept life as it comes and confine herself within the four walls of the ashram. Virginia Woolf, a feminist belonging to the first wave of Feminism, talks about physical space in her essay A Room Of One's Own. This can be co related to the message given out by Mehta. Woolf, like Mehta, pleads for a room where women can be free from the shackles of society. She asks for space to breathe in fresh air, both of which are unavailable to widows as they are asked by religion to enter widowhood and confine themselves within a small space.
Worldly temptations are forbidden for widows. A widow should not eat sweets. This is seen in the case of the old auntie. The auntie repeatedly talks about piping hot gulab jamuns and rasgollahs. The temptations constantly occupy her mind and refuse to leave even when she is asleep. When Chuiya buys the auntie a ladoo, she relishes it by putting the entire thing into her mouth, which brings back memories of her marriage, the time when she last had a ladoo. This illustration is important because it shows how the simplest cravings in life can make people happy. But even this plain craving is forbidden for widows, just because it gives them pleasure and satisfaction. This is also seen in the case of the other widows like, Shakuntala. The pandit asks her if her devotion for religion has taken her towards selfliberation. She replies by saying that if self-liberation means worldly detachment then, no. Once again, it reinforces the idea that a widow should completely detach herself from the pleasure that the world can offer.
Kalyani, another widow in the ashram, is a twenty year old and is extremely attractive. As she takes Chuiya to the riverside to bathe the
little puppy, she accidentally bumps into a woman. The woman out of disappointment and disgust insults her and says that Kalyani has polluted her. This emphasises the status given to women who are widowed. It almost seems as if it is the fault of the widows that they were married off at an early age and that their husbands died. Even so, the women have to pay a huge price and bear the burden of social customs and norms.
Chastity is of great importance. A widow should be pure and chaste. Before the film begins, there is a reference to the Dharamshastras (Sacred Hindu Text), which states that a widow should be long in suffering until death, but self restrained and chaste. A virtuous wife who remains chaste when her husband dies goes to heaven. This concept of chastity is also twisted and manipulated by men their own benefit. The holy scriptures
are wrongly interpreted by them. The Seth sahib, who is a Brahmin, belongs to the upper strata of Hindu society. In terms of social norms, it is a blessing for a widow if she satisfies a Brahmin with physical needs. This epitomises the hypocrisy behind social norms and shows how Kalyani is exploited by the Seth sahib through the pimp Gulabi and Madhumati.
Madhumati refers to Kalyani as a goddess when Kalyani pays for the cremation of the old auntie. Through Kalyani, the so called prostitute, the ashram survives. This raises a big question on the value of true chastity and purity. Ultimately, Kalyani's peace comes in self sacrifice when she drowns herself. She dies in the end because she gives in to the pressure from society and the one-sided laws of widowhood. She feels rejected, used and abused by society and sees herself through the gaze of the men and thus finds herself out of shape, something not expected of her. This shows a resemblance to feminists like Virginia Woolf and Silvia Plath, who in search of freedom eventually gave their lives.
Last but not least, the dominance of the patriarchal society is once again evident when Shakuntala goes to the pandit and asks him about the religious view relating to the remarriage of a widow. He asserts that there is a rule that advocates it but it is of no use because it does not benefit anyone. The pandit uses the word fayda which is a very strong word that draws emphasis on the supreme power of the male sex. Who does it not benefit? The answer is loud and clear -— the men. The new law is not implemented or is not effective because it does not quench the thirst for desire patriarchal society. If this law were active, it would not keep women on the leash and men in authority. Freedom and emancipation for women would come in the way of male happiness. Kalyani is, thus,
turned away from marrying Narayan. Mary Wollestonecraft in her essay, The Vindications of the Rights of Women says that women should not question patriarchal society. This is exactly what happens to the widows. They do not question. They do not have formal education neither do they have economic independence. These widows are conscious and see themselves through the gaze of men. Each and every widow tries to shape herself according to what is expected of her, both religiously and socially, no matter how ridiculous these rules may seem.
It is important to note that Deepa Mehta uses the character of Chuiya to defy these social norms. Chuiya pokes holes at the system and questions why a widow should be half dead and have no right to happiness. She refuses to act like a beggar at the temple and instead does to the sweet shop to buy sweets for the old auntie. She seeks equality with those who have freedom. In addition, her anger gets the better of her when Madhumati rejects the marriage of Kalyani and she kills the parrot. This is symbolic to some extent because this how these widows like the bird are kept in a cage and eventually are physically tormented or they resort in death. It foreshadows the death of Kalyani and at the same time the molestation of Chuiya as she is taken to Seth's house after Kalyani's death.
To sum up, the final destination for a widow is to enter widowhood and go through the elaborate process of self sacrifice. The doors to freedom are not open to widows because the lock and the key are in the hands of society with is moulded and controlled by the male gender. Deepa Mehta, like feminist thinkers elsewhere, challenges this power holding centre and tries to displace it but it ends in a fruitless waste of effort.
SUMAIYA AHSAN BUSHRA IS WITH THE DAILY STAR.