Photo Credit: Trey Ratcliff, Stuck in Customs (Flickr)
If you’ve been following India, TeleFutura’s new sensation, you have become aware of the importance of family in Indian culture.
We have recently seen how one’s family can be the most important thing in determining one’s social status in Indian society. For example, if your family is from the merchant class, you will also belong to that class. In a society that is portrayed as highly hierarchical, this is of extreme importance as your past can directly affect your future.
Case in point: Bahuan. Coming from a family in the lowest caste of Indian society, (dalit), he is not only prohibited from marrying Maya, but he’s not even allowed to touch her. Not having a family of a “respectable” caste, he also doesn’t have anybody with whom to appear before Maya’s parents to ask for her in marriage. While Shankar has attempted to give Bahuan the opportunity to have a family, he will not lie and say that he is Bahuan’s biological father in order to make Maya’s parent’s believe that their daughter is marrying a member of the priestly caste (highest social class). As her parents not only insist on meeting his family and learning about his family tree, Bahuan seems to be in an impossible situation.
Similarly, through Raj’s character we see the importance of the family as a means for passing on Indian traditions to future generations. His father warns that in marrying a foreigner, he will not only affect his own life but the lives of his children and future generations. Thus, his marriage not only concerns him but his entire family. Unfortunately, even his rebellious grandfather seems to think that he shouldn’t marry a non-Indian girl. The situation is further complicated by the fact that his family seems to be very close-knit, as can be seen in a scene where they are gathered in the kitchen as Indira (his mom) prepares a meal. Knowing that he will be ex-communicated from his family and society if he decides to marry Duda, he finally chooses his family over her. The problem now will be dealing with the resulting consequences especially since Duda didn’t take the bad news lightly.
As the young Indian characters of India attempt to settle down and get married, we can see that avoiding family intervention is no easy task. if you’ve been watching closely, you can also see that plans are in-the-making to get Maya and Raj to marry each other. These may soon pan out—especially if Shankar tells Maya’s parents the truth about Bahuan’s identity.
Will the families succeed in deciding the protagonists’ lives or will they be able to marry whomever they want?
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