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HINDU FaMILY LIFE CF UDPSR ASSAM, INDIA
prt tler Anne
Entec Pde 1b 19S

The total life, economic, social, political, and personal is
governed by "religious" customs and culture in India. The term "religi-
ous" is used figuratively as many historians, both Indian and foreign,
elaim that the Hindu “religion” is amixture of so many diverse indie
vidual beliefs and cults, that it has become more a general culture
that is modified by the different races in different parts of india.
It is amazing to the easual visitor just how far religion reaches into
the lives of the Indians. The Sikh mst never cut his hair or beard,
ané wears his turban in a certain manner as ordered in the Granth, or
Sikh biblee Nor does he beg either professionally, or as an ascetic,
as no form of begging is recognised or accepted by the Granth. On the
other extreme the “ultimate” of Hindu worship is te give up home, family,
friends, all worldly possessions--and in some sects that includes clothes
as in the Naga Sadhus--to wander about the world depending on alms for
food. Theoretically these "holy men" do not beg. They just accept the
money or food offered them. It is unfortunate for India that she has
ever five million of these religious parasites! Yet the Sikh religion
is an effshoot of Hinduism, as are most of the great and less great re-
ligions of India, and all invading religions such as Mohammedanism, and
Christianity have been modified and influenced by Hinduism.

It {s therefore not surprising to find that the family life of
the Hindu farmer in Upper Assam is strictly bound by superstions, and by
the worship of many gods to procure the protection of his crops, his food,
his livestock, and his family. Although he is a Hindu there are wide
differences in his family and religious customs and practices from those
of the same type group in other parts of India. In spite of the farmer's
importance in the ecomonic scheme of things, he is of the poorest and
lowest caste in India, called the “coolie"in English by thevupper castes.

fo a certain extent the Hindu farmer of Upper Assam has become
nomadic in living habits, as he eannot afford to pay the land tax that
cémes due every three yearse There}ké builds his bamboo "basha" and
settles in an area growing his rice crop, and occasionally a few poor
vegetables, and after a year or two moves on to another spot to avoid the
taxes$ Although some of the farmers do grow a few vegetables such as t0-
matoes, cucumbers, and & very poor grade of corn, they cannot afford such
a diet for themselves and their femilies, and produce it only for sale at
the village bazaars. The farm families of Assam live on rbce and fish
which they catch in their many streams, Each family apportions a section
of a stream for his familiefs needs, and there only he and his family
fish. This meager and inadequate diet is frequently supplemented by
wild fruits such ag bananas and papua.

Due ta the extreme poverty and lack of formal education, the

Assamese coolies live in a very primitive state. They have little or no
contact with white men, as their life makes them nearly self-sufficient.
One finds them in small farming communities living in family groups, known
as the "joint" fanily. Sometimes ¢wo or three families are living together

' eonsisting of grandparents, and one or two sons and their families. Most ‘
@{fthese families live together under one roof--a frail basha about ten by
fifteen feet! Some of the "wealthier" coolies build two or three of the
bashas for the family groups! And contrary to popular opinion based on.
the contimal political-religious differences we read of, Hindu and Liuslim
families live side by side: amicably in the sane rwral communities.