We DON'T talk about Heeramandi
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ย. 2024
- Tawaif fashion is trending on social media, everyone is obsessed with the (kind of mediocre) tv show, but STILL, desi/South Asians hesitate to mention Heeramandi and tawaif culture in polite company.
Netflix’s new series on Heeramandi is Bollywood’s latest romanticization of the tawaif culture of Hindustan, a remnant of the culture of the royal Mughal court.
Growing up Indian-Pakistani, I’ve seen so many examples of the tragically beautiful courtesan in film and tv shows. Mughal-e-Azam is a treasured classic, as are the adaptations of Umrao Jaan.
As a kid I was curious and asked questions about this sub-culture within the larger heritage and identity of the Indo-Pakistani Muslim. And I was mostly told to shush, because in respectable families we don’t talk about the tawaif “dancing girls.”
Now Sanjay Leela Bhansali has once again brought the tawaif to the front and center of cultural discourse.
So being me, of course I had to delve deeper into the history of what Heeramandi is, who these women were and try to answer the question: why do we act like they never existed?
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If you’re new here, welcome! I’m Saira the Musafir, I travel full time with my husband and kids, and love to share about the history, culture (and food!) from places I visit.
For somewhat regular updates about where I am now, follow me on social!
Insta: saira_the_musafir
Tiktok: @sairathemusafir
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Really appreciate this deep dive into the history. I grew up in Mumbai and there too it was a taboo subject.
So interesting to hear that! I forgot to add this in the video, but after independence, some of the younger tawaif went on to become actresses or choreographers in Bollywood. Even Sanjay Dutt’s grandmother was a tawaif!
This is so interesting! So much history and culture we don't know about! It's so fascinating. I love your videos, they're so much fun to watchh! 😆
Aww thank you so much! I'll keep trying to make new content every week :)
ancient india has always seen dance as a form of worship. It was the britishers who reduced dancers to "nachaniya" A systematic cleansing of our rich cultural heritage :(
It's so crazy how many different aspects of life (cultural, social, religious, economic) were affected by colonialism. And as one of my other viewers mentioned, this didn't happen only in India. Apparently something similar ocurred with the dance culture of Korea.
There is a movie
" Miss Beatty's children "
I haven't watched the movie but the trailer is on TH-cam
It basically shows the British view of India's Devadasi culture as Decadent and the Christian missionary is the saviour.
@@shatnermohanty6678 thanks for the rec! I'll def look it up, I think I've heard of this movie.
Thank you for bravely addressing such an important topic! It's incredibly refreshing to see someone shed light on South Asia's history and culture when it's often overlooked or misunderstood. Your passion for spreading awareness about the Heeramandi and tawaif culture is evident, and I appreciate the effort you've put into researching and sharing this knowledge. Keep up the great work, and I look forward to learning more from your future videos! (Free Palestine!!! :)
Thank you so much for the kind words Myra!! In general I’m a huge history nerd and love to talk and share about all things history. I’m glad you like it, iA I’ll try to keep making more videos 🤍
Yes, Free Falasteen always until it is truly free 🍉🍉🍉
These are important facts about tawaif culture. Thanks for sharing
My pleasure, thanks for watching! History has so much to teach us about our country and culture
Thank you for the informative video! I enjoyed the show (though some more song and dance would have been nice), but was still curious how South Asians viewed the tawaifs.
in Korea, we too had a similar class of women called gisaeng. Sadly their music and dance are even less preserved than the tawaifs' although their poetry does remain. Some of them were political freedom fighters, too. The institution fell apart largely due to colonialism and they are still often viewed as lowly sex objects which was how the colonizers framed and used them. Though there has been a shift trying to reappreciate their role as artists and performers.
Wow that is so fascinating, thank you for sharing this similarity with Korean culture! All of us previously colonized people have so much history and culture in common.
Btw, I love watching k-dramas too, and Korean food is one of my favorite cuisines ☺️
@@sairathemusafir Awesome! Please come visit Korea sometime!😄
Loved this breakdown, thank you sis!!! ♡
You’re welcome, so glad you liked it!
Good information, thanks for sharing.
Glad it was helpful!
Well done, I appreciate the “academic” take and lack of religious mumbo jumbo in the video.
Thanks for watching, I'm a history nerd through and through :)
“Decolonize our own thinking” I love that! There’s so many things the European nations deem as odd or wrong and we blindly follow it :/
We do indeed! Studying history reveals to us the extents of our own ignorance 🙈🙌
Over 9,000 ! Love the Dragonball reference!
Very sorry to say as of now Pakistan don't focus on any culture except food ..most radicals take up it as haram and dont let people learn especially the Hindustani music and kathak dance which were part of subcontinent culture
Yes, definitely! Everyone obsesses about food