I've been playing with a story for months now which is based on Indiam myths. One of the characters is the goddess Kali. My main problem is not so much the religion, but the background culture. The MC is a second generation Indian in Paris, and I don't know _anything_ at all about what his family, background or culture might be like. Anyone know of a place to get good research on the subject? Books based on Indian culture? (I've read God of the Small Things and The Life Of Pi) Are any of you a second generation inmigrant? How does that affect your life? Anyway, this is a short story, not a novel, but I still need a backdrop for the action and everything I come up with feels false.
Posted by wbriggs (Member # 2267) on :
If you can get a movie or novel set in the right area, that might help.
Posted by priscillabgoo (Member # 4777) on :
Hi Sara,
I can recommend several movies, each of which deals with cultural expectations. They are primarily the work of directors Mira Nair and Gurinder Chadha (both Indian women).
The Namesake (coming in March) Bride & Prejudice - very lighthearted Monsoon Wedding - lots of drama, complex Bend it Like Beckham - a romance Mississipi Masala My Beautiful Laundrette TBD - one I can't remember, will try to
Check out author Jhumpa Lahiri on Wikipedia and it will link you to some articles that might be helpful.
The other thing you will want to explore is the caste system, because that too plays a part in expectations. I hope this helps.
Posted by Ezekiel (Member # 3264) on :
I watch several "bollywoods" I would suggest you watch any one of them.My favs are: Bride and Prejudice Salame Namaste Asoka devdas Kriis(A modern Bollywood Sci-fi) Bollywood Hollywood
But rent or buy a few Bollywoods and that will help you..
Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :
I'd recommend THE CITY OF JOY by Dominique Lapierre, about an American doctor who goes to work in Calcutta. (It's a sort of "fish out of water" (milieu) story in that the doctor learns about Indian life and culture thereby helping the reader to learn about it.)
I'd also recommend books set during the British Raj as background for modern India. M. M. Kaye's THE FAR PAVILIONS and SHADOW OF THE MOON are particularly good ones.
And find a good biography of Mohandas Gandhi or even his autobiography, THE STORY OF MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH (which I haven't read, but should be helpful). The movie about him (starring Ben Kingsley) is powerful and well worth seeing, if you want to go the movie route.
Dominic Lapierre has another book, FREEDOM AT MIDNIGHT, about Gandhi and how India obtained and dealt with independence that might also be helpful.
Posted by Elan (Member # 2442) on :
I second the nomination for M. M. Kaye's books "The Far Pavillions" and "Shadow of the Moon." Both are excellent reads, and I came away with a deeper understanding of the Indian culture under British rule, as well as a comprehension of why foreign invasion into Afghanistan is unlikely to meet with success. Kaye was raised in India, and her ability to convey the scents, the sights, the feel of the culture was superb in those books.
Posted by rickfisher (Member # 1214) on :
You might also look at The Raj Quartet, consisting of The Jewel in the Crown, The Day of the Scorpion, The Towers of Silence, and A Division of the Spoils, by Paul Scott. I was told by a first-generation Indian immigrant (she moved here when she was nine) that it presented Indian culture much more accurately than The Far Pavilions.
This post is pure hearsay.
Posted by Sara Genge (Member # 3468) on :
Wow, thanks! So much to read and watch. I have my work cut out for me. Kathleen: I read most of "Experiments with Truth". It's a slow book, but very precise and good insight into Gandhi's mind. The man spent half his life guilt-ridden over things I do without thinking. Curious, what it takes to be a saint.
Posted by franc li (Member # 3850) on :
quote:Are any of you a second generation inmigrant? How does that affect your life?
Is this a question for any type second generation immigrant or just from India? I think Indians go toward the Asian tendency of conforming to American culture as much as possible, except for the really important stuff like whether to peel the protective coating off electronics.
Posted by Silver3 (Member # 2174) on :
I'm a second-generation immigrant (well, half of one, since my mother's the Vietnamese immigrant and my father is French). On a day-to-day basis, it doesn't really affect my life a lot. But then again, my parents had an agreement I'd be raised the Western way, so I missed out on a lot of specific Vietnamese stuff.
The things I did get do make you feel a little...dislocated, from time to time--the stuff you hear at home and eat at home is not at all like the stuff experienced by the people you meet in everyday life (your school, your work).
What I can't give you is the being part of a community--which I know happens a lot with immigrants--because it never went that way for me.
Posted by Sara Genge (Member # 3468) on :
Interesting, thanks for the feedback. I'm half American, half Spanish myself, but I was born and raised in Spain so for practical purposes, I'm Spanish. I guess I was wondering about people who have two parents who are inmigrants. It must be jarring at times, and also interesting. The people I've met in this situation have such a varied way of adjusting to it. Each family copes with the different country and languange in different ways. Hmm, you've given me some good thinking material
