Caste & Widow Re-marriage

The planter in Mysore, Robert H Elliot, (1837-1914)  had ample opportunity to experience ‘the living effects of the institution of Caste’ in the later half of the 19^th century.  He informs us that he was the only European within a twelve mile radius, and ‘had been entirely dependent on a native population for

society’. Thus he developed close ‘intimacy’ with the natives , which helped him to empathetically understand their communal and social life.  His observation of widow remarriage is as follows. From his account, the modern story of  ‘reformers’ taking up cudgels against the  ‘age-old prohibition of widow-remarriage’, must be re-examined. It looks like modernity  is also in need of MYTHS.

Quote:  “Before closing this branch of the subject, I may allude briefly to what has been so often attacked by the opponents of caste: I mean the prohibition of the marriage of widows. This rule exists in Manjarabad, but I am not aware that any great moral evil arises from it, as a widow can always contract to live with a man, the difference being that the ceremonies performed are of an inferior kind. This is not allowed to be a marriage, but, in fact, it is a marriage, though of a kind held in rather low estimation. On customs like these, which in a great measure neutralize the evils arising from the restrictions on re-marriage, it seems to me that our information is very scanty, and I am not aware how far the practice alluded to prevails in other parts of India.” (p. 384 of 798)

Then as of now it is mostly one’s choice coupled with the circumstances, deciding whether to remain a widow or not.

EXCERPT FROM

Robert H. Elliot. “Gold, Sport, and Coffee Planting in Mysore.” iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright (From Chapter VIII.  CASTE)

India vis-à-vis ‘Great’ Britain – STATE OF MORALITY OF PEOPLE COMPARED

THE ROLE OF CASTE IN SUSTAINING  DESIRABLE  MORALITY AMONG PEOPLE

Morally Indians were a superior people, even during the second half of the NINETEENTH  CENTURY. ie  during the second-half of 1800’s.  Consider the following TESTIMONY (WITNESS) of Robert H. Elliot, planter in Mysore for 38 years, who had close and constant association with the natives, and whose statement, the result of  comparative assessment of morality of people in India  & G.Britain is given below :-

Quote- “On two very important points, then—the connection of the sexes and the use of alcohol—it is evident that CASTE LAWS have produced some very favourable and valuable results; but I do not think we can accurately  gauge their value unless we compare the state of morality existing in Manjarabad with the state of morality existing in one of our home counties; and the comparison I have to make, if not very soothing, is, I am sure, very interesting. Take any one of our counties in Great Britain, for instance, and compare it with Manjarabad as regards the points I have particularly referred to, and it will be found that Manjarabad has an immense superiority. The crimes and misery arising from drinking are hardly to be found at all in Manjarabad, while the morality

of the sexes, I should think, could hardly be surpassed. Now, there is nothing very surprising, considering that the people in this country are so heavily weighted, that this should be the case; on the contrary, it is the natural result of the circumstances of their worldly situation. But, supposing that the worldly situation as to the means of support and the opportunities of marrying were equal, it seems to me perfectly plain that the people who have a large proportion of the better classes total abstainers, and who have their society so controlled that the rich cannot gratify their passions at the expense of the poor, must be in the possession of a superior morality.”

Further read at the following link, the positive effects of Caste on the Social Fabric of India :-

http://msradha.blogspot.in/2013/08/caste-contributed-positively-to-indian.html

http://msradha.blogspot.in/2013/08/caste-and-womens-safety.html

http://msradha.blogspot.in/2013/08/caste-system-vis-vis-alcoholism-indian.html

http://msradha.blogspot.in/2013/08/caste-widow-re-marriage.html

http://msradha.blogspot.in/2013/08/caste-social-segregation-self-respect.html

http://msradha.blogspot.in/2013/09/caste-its-redundancy-in-urban-areas.html

EXCERPT FROM

Robert H. Elliot. “Gold, Sport, and Coffee Planting in Mysore.” iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright. (From Chapter VIII.  CASTE)

( note. This book/resource is freely available on the net.)

CASTE SYSTEM vis-a-vis ALCOHOLISM - Indian Experience

Having lived for 38 years among the natives of India as a Planter, the writings of Robert H. Elliot (1837-1914) offers a peek into the social life of India (Mysore)  during his time.  He recorded that , caste-laws produced a wholesome  effect  over Indian society.  Here he  notifies us, how caste laws and customs  prevented the abuse of alcohol, and men fearing loss of caste, refrained themselves for coming under alcohol’s baneful influences. Mr Elliot reminds us that since, - “a large proportion of the population of India are absolutely compelled to abstain from the use of alcohol, and that these being the very best, or at least equal to the very best, of the community, must always have exercised a large influence in discouraging the excessive use of intoxicating drinks,” -  the use of alcohol was  confined to only a few, maybe on the margins. Contrast this pre-modern period, to that of the  all pervasive abuse of alcohol and other intoxicating substances, even by  children , in  MODERN TIMES.  The situation has become much ugly and preposterous that MODERN GOVTS like that in the Indian State of Kerala and TN  almost exclusively depend on  revenue  got from the sale of liquor.

 

Excerpts- “ Having thus briefly glanced at caste law, as controlling the connection of the sexes, let us now look at it from another pointof view, which I venture to think is, as regards its ultimate

consequences, of even still more importance. If there is one vice more than another which is productive of serious crime, it is the abuse of alcohol; and there is no doubt that, to use the words of an eminent statesman, "if we could subtract from the ignorance, the poverty, the suffering, the sickness, and the crime now witnessed among us, (ie the English) the ignorance, the poverty, the sickness, and the crime caused by the single vice of drinking, this country would be so changed for the better that we should hardly know it again." Regarding it, then, in all its consequences, whether physical

or mental (and how many madmen and idiots are there not bred by drinking?  I observe in the Administration Report for Mysore, 1867-68, that nearly all the cases in the lunatic asylum were traced either to drinking or bhang-smoking), it is difficult to estimate too highly the value of caste laws that utterly prohibit the use of those strong drinks that are injurious in any country, but are a thousand times more so

under the rays of a tropical sun. And when we come to consider that a large proportion of the population of India are absolutely compelled to abstain from the use of alcohol, and that these being the very best, or at least equal to the very best, of the community, must always have exercised a large influence in discouraging the excessive use of intoxicating drinks, it is impossible to refrain from coming to the conclusion that this single fact is more than sufficient to counterbalance all the evils that have ever been said to arise from caste.”

 EXCERPT FROM

Robert H. Elliot. “Gold, Sport, and Coffee Planting in Mysore.” iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright. (From Chapter VIII.  CASTE)

( note. This book/resource is freely available on the net.)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8557215.stm