Tag: Cultural influence

Marital Rape:Culture or Consent?

Patriarchy, often perceived as a “culture” by the Indian society, strives to be protected at all costs, even if that means to strip off the “vulnerable”, of their basic human rights. All concepts that threaten this so-called culture, are categorised as “western concepts”, and are further refused to be acknowledged. Living in denial and refusing to acknowledge the problems, does not mean that they don’t prevail in the Indian Society. In fact, this means that a significant chunk of the society is not ready for the particular problem, but, that does not in any way, give them the right to disregard other people’s safety and security, just because their’s is intact.
One such controversial concept is ‘Marital rape’, often perceived as an oxymoron. Although, ‘rape’ has been clearly defined by most of the criminal codes of almost every country recognised by the United Nations, yet the understanding is rather subjective varying on the culture and relationship of the accused and the victim.  As Estelle B. Freedman points out in Redefining Rape,”At its core, rape a legal term that encompasses a malleable and culturally determined perception of the act…The meaning of rape is thus fluid”. One such factor is ‘marriage’, which supposedly rules out the possibility of forceful sexual conduct upon a wife, since a wedlock provides  immunity to the husband, sociologically as well as on legal grounds in 10 nations of the world.
Well, one of the most difficult challenge faced by people opposing marital rape, is the lack of acknowledgment of this sin. The surprising fact is that this is probably the only crime , where the victim does not recognise her violation of the rights, because control of a woman’s body is foundational to patriarchy. As British jurist, Lord Mathew Hale, states that,”The husband cannot be guilty of rape committed by himself upon his lawful wife, for by their mutual consent and contract the wife hath given up herself in this kind unto her husband, which she cannot retract.” This orthodox thinking is deep rooted in our society and is a shame to our so-called judicial progress, because if we see the section 375 of the Indian Penal Code,1872, although it defines rape, yet there is an exception in the statute which states, that, ’Sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is not rape.’

Arguments generally used to justify the non existence of this crime in the IPC, are that there are other sections like domestic violence and cruelty that protect the wives from the oppression and dominance.“there are other provisions that safeguards the rights of a wife, like domestic violence which covers cruelty, so why do we need another law? So greedy, these ‘feminists’ have become!”. This shows us the biggest problem in not recognising marital rape as a form of rape ,that is, the society is ready to accept the husband as an offender of  domestic violence, since the ‘anger issues’ are just unstoppable and ‘he is a man’, but are not ready to accuse the husband of rape of his own wife.Such beliefs are imbedded in notions such as the idea that a woman’s sexuality is a commodity that can be owned by her father or husband, the belief that what happens between husband and wife in the bedroom is a private matter, that a man is entitled to sexual relations with his wife, and that a wife should consensually engage in sex with her husband, thus making rape “unnecessary.” 

The ways in which marital rape is condoned varies cross-culturally. In India, Supreme court ruled in February 2015, that marital rape is not a crime.A government minister then told the parliament, that it could not be criminalised in India, since “marriages are sacrosanct”.(BBC News,2015). Like, in United States of America, although it is a criminal offence, yet a significant amount of attitudinal surveys show that Americans regard the rape of a wife far less than a similar assault by an acquaintance or a stranger. “Marital rape is a western concept, it is not possible in the Indian Society”, as stated by Maneka Gandhi, minister of women and child development, Ironical? It’s a crying shame, that people still have to be convinced, that there is ‘no difference’ between rape and marital rape. A wedlock, does not take away the bodily rights of a woman, she is still an individual and her rights must be protected. This mindset cannot be changed solely by judicial activism, but by educating men and women, and making them sensitive towards each others sentiments.

One of the ignored reason of the exclusion of this crime, is the anthropological aspect of research. As Gabriella Torres points out in her book, ’Marital Rape: Consent, Marriage, and Social Change in Global Context’, that first and foremost, this issue is not been given the level of public importance that it deserves. The  arguments for keeping the exemption have included, first,  keeping the marital relationship private,  second,  protecting husbands from vindictive wives, third, because it is nearly impossible to prove, and fourthly because a charge of rape would discourage reconciliation between husband and wife.

The reason for the less public attention given by the people to this inhuman and heinous act is that, the society is so blinded with culture and customs, that now the customs are not according to the behaviour of the people, but the behaviour is according to the culture and customs. This is where anthropologists come into power, since the society has nicely, adapted the crime to the custom, it’s important to understand what the culture or customary practice originally stated.There can be two possible scenarios, that is, one, culture does not state to violate any right, then society’s mindset can be changed with the right information regarding their culture  and second possible scenario is, if the culture succumbs to the violent and dominant ideology and even after reading the accounts of the victim, the dominance of the culture has a possibility, then it is high time we make a choice between ‘Culture or Consent’.

Chess – the game that spanned millennia

Chess, a brilliant pass time to hone and develop out mental acumen, has been in our lives for more than a millennium. Chess is a two-player strategy board game played on a checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an 8×8 grid. Played by millions of people worldwide. However, it was not always the same kind of game that it is now, it has evolved immensely from the time that it was made. Over roughly one and a half millennia of its existence, chess has become a tool of military strategy, a metaphor for human affairs and a benchmark of genius. While our earliest records of chess are from the 7th century, legend has it that it was actually originated at sometime in the 6th century. So how did it start and evolve to the game enjoyed by so many today.

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Supposedly when the youngest prince of the Gupta empire was killed in battle, his brother devised a way to represent the scene to his grieving mother. Set on an 8×8 ashtapada board used for other popular pastimes, a new game emerged with two new features, different rules for moving different pieces on the board and a single king whose fate decided the outcome of the game. The game originally called chaturanga, a Sanskrit word for four divisions was soon popularised and spread to Sassanid Persia and acquired its current name and terminology – “chess” derived from “shah” meaning “king” and “checkmate” from “shah mat” which means “the king is helpless”. After the 7th century Islamic conquest of Persia, chess got introduced to the Arab world. Thus, transcending its role as a tactical simulation and becoming a rich source of poetic imagery. Diplomats and courtiers used chess terms to describe political power, even ruling caliphs became avid players and historian al-Mas’udi considered the game a testament to human free will compared to the games of chance. Medieval trade along the silk road carried the game to east and south east Asia, where many local variants developed. In china, chess pieces were placed at intersections of board squares rather than inside them as in the native strategy game of Go. In the Mongol times, chess saw an 11×10 board with safe square called citadels while in japan shogi developed where captured pieces could be used by an opposing player. But it was really in Europe that the game acquired its modern form. By 1000 AD, the game had become a part of courtly education with chess becoming an allegory for different classes with different functions. At the same time church remained suspicious of games. Moralists cautioned against devoting too much time to it with chess even briefly being banned in France. Yet the game proliferated and the 15th century saw it cohering into the form we know today. With the enlightenment era, the game moved from royal courts to coffee houses. Chess was now seen as an expression for creativity, encouraging bold moves and dramatic plays. This “romantic” style of play reached its peak in the immortal game of 1851 which is hailed as the most dramatic and game so far.  With the emergence of formal competitive play in the 19th century, it saw the dramatic flair being squashed under the strategic calculation that the era had brought forth. This chess took on a new geopolitical stance with the Soviet Union dominating the rest of the century by devoting great resources to cultivate chess talent. But a player emerged who truly upset the Russian dominance and it wasn’t even human. The IBM computer called Deep blue triumphed over Garry Kasparov in 1997 and hailed the emergence of chess software with AI so advanced as to beat human players with ease.

However, these machines are the products of human ingenuity and the same ingenuity can perhaps help us get out of the apparent checkmate.

Sherlock- the ever changing phenomenon.

Celebrities and icons, they are a staple in our lives constantly being showcased no matter where we go. We grow up idolizing them, praising their works, this can make them iconic within their own fields. However, these icons can also be fictional. Many a character from TV shows and books have become common household names due to their immense popularity. But none more than the greatest detective to ever walk the fictional works of Arthur Conan Doyle, the London sleuth himself, Sherlock Holmes. More than a century after first emerging into the fogbound, gas-lit streets of Victorian London, Sherlock Holmes is universally recognizable. His wardrobe comprising of the Inverness cape, deerstalker hat and the calabash pipe. With figures such as his best friend and housemate Dr John Watson, arch nemesis Moriarty and house keeper Mrs Hudson, Sherlock and his associates have become part of the popular consciousness, as have his infallible powers of deduction utilized in the name of law along with his catchphrase “Elementary, my dear Watson”. And yet many of his most recognizable features don’t appear in Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories. So, who exactly is Sherlock Holmes? Who’s the real “great detective,” and where do we find him?

We can often see Conan’s Sherlock speculate, guess and even make false guesses. Furthermore Mrs. Hudson is barely mentioned, never does he say his iconic catchphrase, and his sidekick spend most of the time apart and even his arch nemesis Moriarty, is featured only in two stories. His drug use is infrequent after the first two novels and Holmes is seen preferring his own sense of justice rather than being enthralled by the English justice system. Even the most iconic elements of the Holmesian legend aren’t Doyle’s either. The cape and hat were imagined by Sidney Paget, the story’s initial illustrator, the curved pipe added by American theater actor William Gillete and his iconic phrase was coined by author and humorist P.G. Wodehouse. Thus, we can see that the Sherlock we know is vastly different than the one imagined by Sir Conan Doyle. Many believe that he was inspired by his university mentor Dr Joseph Bell. But today Doyle’s version has long since been eclipsed by various different interpretations of the character, making the original virtually unrecognizable. There have been thousands of adaptations of Holmes, making him one of the world’s most adapted fictional character. This process began with Victorian stage plays and has since accelerated with the emergence of film, there were more than 100 adaptations of Holmes in the first two decades of the 20th century alone. Adding to the fact many thousands more in print, film, television, stage and radio it makes much sense that the character would take on different variations as it is played on by different perspectives. To showcase this, we can see clearly that during the WWII Holmes was featured in a number of allied anti- Nazi propaganda, with both Churchill and Roosevelt being avid enthusiasts, going so far to name one secret base as Baker street. On the other side of the coin, we see that he was adapted in German as well some being the favorite of Hitler. Another can be seen in the modern era, the vast differences in Downey’s and Cumberbatch’s portrayal of the same character. While the soul of the character stays the same, he simply dons different characteristics with each portrayal. So, the truth is that this world of adaptations has made him a palimpsest.

Sherlock is a cultural text, repeatedly altered over time as each new interpretation is superimposed over the earlier one. One can almost see Sherlock like a phoenix, rising anew from its predecessor’s ashes, thus continually evolving embodying ideas and values far removed from those in Conan Doyle’s version. But never the less, the baker street resident will forever be the greatest detective of all times, Sherlock Holmes.

Indian Cuisine: The culmination of many Cultures

Indian cuisine is a culmination of different cultures, each region has to offer a diversity of dishes, the variety of dishes available in the Indian cuisine are just too many in number to be matched by any other country and this is the reason behind the extravagant quality which the Indian cuisine holds.

If we go back around 6,000 years we will see the different influences which have created a plethora of dishes. Each region has its own way of cooking its regional dishes and the ingredients which are majorly available in that region become a base for the dishes. eg- In south India most of the dishes have rice as a base in it as a rice is one of the major crops which is grown in that region. Be it dosas, uttapams, appe, iddiyapam, idlis or even mendu vadas they all have rice in it as a base in some or the other form.

If you go towards Eastern India one can see the influence of the Chinese in eastern food of Indian cuisine, be it noodles, soups or even lip smacking momos and spring rolls, they definitely top our list of favourite food items and we have tried our hand on them in our own kitchens as well.

OUR INSPIRATION • Maya Kaimal Foods
(Maya Kaimal)

All four regions of India that is North, South, East and West have distinct dishes which represent the rich culture and also they represent the variety of crops which are grown in this colourful continent. Based on the settlers who had come and settled in India 6,000 years ago-they have left their mark behind on the Indian cuisine.

The roti, bhakri or chapatti we eat has originated from the afghan naan according to many experts when Afghani tribes had settled in the western provinces, and even the Moghuls contributed to the inclusion of naans which has changed overtime into rotis and bhakris. The Mughal empire which had gripped itself over India has given rise to rich gravies made out of nuts and other dry fruits in Northern India and many other provinces. The Persians who had come and settle in India left a huge mark behind not only on the Indian cuisine but also left behind a versatile Parsi Cuisine. Eg- the famous Irani chai with maska bun is an unforgettable combination. In western India specifically in Gujarat one could see the dominance of Parsi and Jain food, both cuisines being extreme opposites ad Parsis are pure non-vegetarians and other hand one could see Jains who were pure vegetarians who consumed certain selective vegetables and their dishes are truly commendable as creating extravagant recipes by excluding certain major ingredients is not easy. Indian food also has the influence of Mughal culture in the western belt of India. The Parsi community who came all the way from Iran has passed on the use of saffron and dry fruits in sweet and savoury delicacies in Mahrashtra and Gujarat.

Trading via sea ports also gave rise to the addition of many ingredients which are now an important part of Indian cuisine. Goan food is influenced greatly by the Portuguese settlers , there are many meat dishes which have been brought in by the Portuguese eg- “carne de vinha de alhos”, which is a meat dish which is made out of marinated pork that includes garlic and wine. Many of the Goan dishes which have vine as a major ingredient in them be it cakes or curries have also been influenced by Portuguese cuisine. Goa also houses some of the best sweet delicacies especially tea cakes, milk cakes and pastries which have been brought in by the French and the Portuguese.

This whole concept of hight tea or afternoon tea has come from the british, as britishers follow the tradition of having cakes and many other sweet and savoury snacks in the afternoon or evening along with a cup of tea.

We also do have influence on Indian food from Middle East, certain recipes of samosas, biryani, chick pea flour and chick pea curries have been passed on from Persian and Mughal tribes.

In today’s times we can cook many international cuisines and they are served in restaurants as well, but these are indianised versions of these international cuisines and hence one can even call them fusion or Indo western cuisines, be it Indian-American food like burgers, pizzas or fries or even Indo-chinese food which is given an Indian touch to it or even Indo-mexican food ,All of these fusion cuisines which have been in trend lately are creating a big wave in the Indian Food Industry and will soon become a part of it.

How Pop Culture Trends Influence Youth….

At times, students fail to complete their assignments successfully due to the complexity of a topic. Some topics are difficult to cover because they should analyze many issues. For example, the relations between pop culture and youth are complex and include a lot of things to consider and explain. In the meanwhile, it’s a very interesting and popular theme for debates. A human being is a social creature that desires to interact with other people. Thus, people unite due to a common purpose and initiate small communities, which steadily develop into a real nation. Every nation has its culture and it affects the youth. The further division of culture creates popular culture trends that play an important growth in the development and maturing of young generations. Popular culture trends may have positive and negative effects for the youth and we should be aware of every manifestation.

Popular culture has long been associated with youth. TV and movie producers, as well as celebrities and their agents, frequently market their wares specifically to young people. Teens find extreme sports appealing and love to try trends. But pop culture has gone beyond reality TV and bungee jumping. It’s become more about making a personal connection with teens and having them interact with popular culture and each other.

influence young people today, such as TV, movies and celebrities, were popular with previous generations. However, the way that teens access and interact with popular culture has been revolutionized by technology and specialization. They don’t just experience popular culture and react to it; they interact with it and affect it in real time. They’re using technology to do it, and youth leaders can utilize these same technologies to establish relationships between our teens, their views of culture and their faith.

Pop culture has a huge influence on teens. They tend to imitate current trends and other people. The influence shapes the way they think (psychologically), act (behaviorally), and feel (emotionally). It helps to define themselves. They recognize themselves and see as if with the eyes of other people. The image that is taken from culture shapes their worldview and affects personal choices. It’s really nice when teenagers follow a celebrity who has healthy habits, is kind, educated, leads to a healthy lifestyle and so on. Nonetheless, many celebrities are far from being a good example to follow. Many of them take drugs and drink a lot of alcohol. Thus, many youngsters imitated this terrifying lifestyle and ruined their own lives. Teens likewise lose interest in school and normal things that used to make them happy.

Pop-culture is a timeless notion. It happens in every moment of the history and influences people who enjoy mass values. It is not only about youth: adults also get affected by popular culture if they stay in touch with the current trends and monitor what’s new. Older generations are adherents to popular culture of their own youth so that they are least likely to follow new trends.

By popular culture, we mean everything that happens in the media, arts, sports, society, or entertainment. Today, online media have become a potent transmitter of popular culture to young people who use them most. Social activities are arranged on Facebook where people can discover them. TV shows and movies are discussed and popularized online too. People who actively use social media are very likely to follow popular culture as news and updates are displayed in their newsfeed. There is no doubt that popular culture changes generations. Both youngsters and adults are likely to adopt features popular among their peers, and pop culture is the largest source of such features.

The influence of popular culture has a strong impact on young generations. It can be noticed in numerous manifestations and interacts with all sides of our life. There are great chances that teens will imitate the wrong model of behavior. Accordingly, parents and society should keep an eye on this issue.

Refrences:-

https://scallywagandvagabond.com