Comments on: Bride-burning in India….yes!! a shame, but true..

By: Wiliam Ary

Wiliam Ary — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 05:22:11 +0000

I think such practices as bride burning are relict of a time when women were uneducated, oppressed and lived as de facto slaves. I have heard of similar practices in the Middle East, but the most atrocious variety is that which occurs in Bangladesh, where spousal abuse can be even more vicious: in some areas, if a woman is found to have cuckolded or refuses a man’s offer of sex or his marriage proposal, she may end up being ambushed and doused with battery acid and left to die or spend the rest of her life horribly mutilated. Typically, the perpetrators aim for the face. I cannot even begin to describe my feelings for the kind of man that would do such a thing.

By: Jason Silver

Jason Silver — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:49:50 +0000

Fred makes a good point about how the numbers of bride burnings is very low in comparison to the total number of women in the country. I’d like to expand on that with the thought that in such a massive country geographically that it is hard to understand the vast amount of cultural differences within it. The amount of diversity within this single country is so great that it is hard to keep track of it all. Wife burning is despicable and the issue of dowry is contentious. What might be acceptable in one area or province could just as easily be looked down upon in another. It is necessary to understand the entire situation and I think we will all get a better understanding, albeit minimal, while we are in India.

By: LIndsay Leaver

LIndsay Leaver — Sun, 16 May 2010 18:50:38 +0000

I think you guys are misrepresenting my blog post… I am not being critical of India, or the culture. And I understand that brideburning, though it happens too often, is not the norm.

My only point was that when visiting a country, and studying a country as extensively as we have this year, it is important to understand and discuss ALL aspects of that country. Even the ones that are too hard to comprehend.

I am not judging India by this tradition, and yes I understand that in America we have our own problems. However, I still believe it is important and education to bring this stuff to attention.

Lastly, to Hemanth’s point about sensationalizing bride burning. I didn’t. I simply pointed it out and expressed my feelings about it. As far as America sensationalizing things for movies, that is the entertainment business… you know that. Everyone is guilty - even India. Ever seen the movies Water, Earth, or Fire? Are they segregation/discrimination “porn” - to borrow your phrase. Or are they movies, made by and Indian woman to highlight the and combat the problems for women in Indian culture. I think the later.

By: Frederick Peemoeller

Frederick Peemoeller — Thu, 13 May 2010 22:28:19 +0000

2500 out of the 565 million women in India is still quite a low number. In fact, it almost qualifies as six sigma since it equates to roughly 5 out of every million women in India are subject to bride burning. To put it in perspective, a woman has twice the chance to die in an explosion than bride burning. Even though the crime of bride burning is indescribably inhumane, people should understand that this is not the norm even if the actual number is higher. If this became a serious issue, I think Hemanth provided the best solution: The Indian government needs to outlaw taking dowry.

By: Michael Minasian

Michael Minasian — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 00:06:40 +0000

I am with Hemanth on this one. I think the crimes are terrible, and need to be brought to light. However, just as I expect my society not to be judged by the acts of a few, or my religion to be judged by the acts of a few extremists, we have to be careful when we find out about crimes, or other unfortunate practices in a country, and then assume it is widespread, accepted, or even traditional!

By: Hemanth

Hemanth — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 02:17:48 +0000

Lindsey, thanks for bringing the issue to the fore. However, bride-burning is not a tradition. They are horrific crimes committed by some greedy in-laws who try to extort money from bride’s parents. Dowry is the problem not bride-burning. Bride-burning is a crime. As I was growing up, I remember being disgusted after seeing these horrific deeds in the newspapers and used to wonder how the society’s practices are leading to different crimes and issues. I remember making it clear to my parents about my feeling about dowry-giving or taking. My parents told me that they do not like taking dowry however; they have to give for my sister. They said people will expect dowry for my sister. I made it clear however that I would never support giving or taking dowry. So, let us demarcate tradition and a crime.

Unfortunately, when you hear of such abhorrent crimes, most people make up their mind about a society. For example, to me, slum-dog millionaire is one such poverty porn. Some western and indo-western moviemakers thrive on showing such crimes (like poring wax to make children blind or the unfortunate plight of widows in Varanasi) and depicting India in bad light. People have come up to me and told me they have seen slum-dog millionaire and asked me if 1 in 10 children are waxed in their eyes in India. It is not to say abhorrent crimes like these do not happen in India. But, they are not the norm.
Tell me friends, what kind of global image will be created if I become a reputed director making movies at a global level, depicting lives of just the homeless in America, violent crimes and shootings in America, and show very little of mainstream America. There are problems in every country. India has more problems; I am the first to agree. But don’t sensationalize it. Try to understand the social fabric, investigate root causes of the problems in different places, understand the psyche of people and try and get a good grasp of the history of the region. India is inundated with problems like terrorism, naxalism, rampant corruption, illiteracy, unemployment, red tape, communal problems etc.. Things are changing and they are changing for the better.