A Family of India (1954)

[Music] I am an ordinary man of India and my name is Ram dash every morning my wife Durga brings to me my youngest son as soon as he's awake it is good to start the day by playing with my son I'm fortunate to have four children and they're all happy in India because it is their home my middle son miti and my only daughter ganga like to play with her chicks before going to school in the morning my firstborn son L would rather go to school early and play marbles before classes begin the other boys think that L makes the best play marbles of all L is happy even though I cannot afford to buy glass marbles for him my daughter ganga wears a long dress called aari when she goes to school ganga watches other students spin cotton for she she is most interested in domestic crafts miti wants to be a merchant and my son is anxious to learn his alphabet from his teacher in India in the past my son would have been obliged to follow my trade but today miti can decide what he wants to do most Boys in India want to work on the land so they join the agriculture class my oldest son L helps his classmates left water from a well I could not go to school when I was a boy but today all children in India go to school L will lead a better life later because he's going to school now while L is learning irrigation at school I'm busy with my morning work I am the caretaker of a large estate the owner lives in a beautiful mansion and my family lives in the caretaker Bungalow next door the estate is located at the edge of the city of Banaras one of my duties is to ride into Banaras and deliver messages for my employer soon the estate state will have a telephone and I will not have to deliver messages in person the lady signs a book which I carry it is a record that the message was received I think that by the time I return to the estate my children will be coming home from school miti returned home just in time for some excitement a visitor is arriving at the mansion in a bicycle rore miti runs to tell me for I must make the visitor comfortable this is another of my duties as a caraker the visitor is wearing a fine suit it is the National Dress of India he greets the owners of the estate in our customary way every day after school the children help with the family work before going out to play in the neighborhood miti and ganga like to pick tomatoes for they feel close to the soil My Good Wife helps me clean the weeds in a small plot near the m ition all of us work together Dura knows that we work together because we think of our family as a unit the job I enjoy most is feeding our cow she's our most valuable possession because of her my family has milk and butter I have given the calf to Mo so that my son will learn the importance of cattle when the calf grows up he will pull a plow in the fields because cattle are essential to our way of life people in India have a high regard for them after my children complete their Afterschool jobs they play on the estate as my sons walk through the fields they learn much about agriculture here is some activity a woman lifting irrigation water from a well it looks like it's fun but the boys soon discover that lifting water is hard work they are glad that pumps are replacing this outmoded method we are learning that machines can help us do much of our work when my sons hear a flute near the Mansion they join the people going there for everyone in India enjoys the traveling Snake Charmer with his [Music] Cobra entertainment and sugar cane Babu knows it's a Good Life The Snake Charmer becomes partly immune to a cobra bite but to be extra safe he removes the poison from the snake every [Music] day miti climbs on a log pile so that he can also watch The Mansion now he can see me when I leave for the market for I have promised to take him with me for most half the fun going shopping in Banaras is riding in the carriage The Carriage belongs to the driver and we must pay for the ride when we reach Banaras we go first to the vegetable market the man who sells vegetables weighs them with a hand balance the estate owners have a separate cook so I buy food only for my family the streets of Banaras are full of [Applause] activity miti watches the traffic while I buy some tropical fruit from a roadside stand next to the fruit vendor is an old man who sells soap I buy a bar for my family will need some soap later this afternoon when we go to the river to [Music] [Applause] bathe miti and I do much walking for the things we must buy are sold in different parts of the city the grain store is our last stop miti has fun at the market and he also learns much by watching he sees how I use my scarf instead of a paper bag because we eat rice with practically every meal I must buy this much rice for my family every week although miti would like to remain longer in this fascinating Bazar we must find another carriage and return home so that we can go with the family to the river to bathe before our evening meal we are fortunate to live within walking distance of the Ganges River we need the water of the Ganges River to grow our crops because we could not live without the Ganges it has become a sacred River for us at these public steps people bathe with their clothes on like most people in India we are Hindus and like most people in India we bathe every day in order to remain clean in body and in Soul after bathing we put on clean clothes My Wife puts on a blouse under her long graceful dress duras sorry is made from many yards of cloth and so is my doe I put on my Doty without using buttons or pins our soil clothes are washed so that we will have clean clothes for tomorrow now that we are clean it is proper that we go home and eat our evening meal as Durga grinds flour for bread Babu takes advantage of the movement while waiting for dinner to be prepared Mi Gets a Haircut from the traveling barber in School Mo learns that in some countries Barbers don't come to the home of the customer it seems that each country has its own custom meanwhile Durga prepares our evening meal our kitchen is simple but it is like most kitchens in India yet in this plain kitchen Durga prepares the tasty typical dishes of in India first there is curry a mixture of vegetables and spices which will be eaten with rice then just before serving the meal Durga prepares this flat wheat bread called rooty and Cooks it on an open Pan the dinner is nearly ready so the children wash because we eat with our fingers we are even more particular about washing thoroughly little Babu uses more than just his fingers while enjoying his Curry and rice is it good asked Babu with everyone cleaned up after dinner there's the relaxation that comes with the end of the day I enjoy my pipe and my family my little clown Babu plays dress up in his sister sari my family is like most families in India we lead a simple life a contented life I do not have much money but with a happy family like mine I lead a rich life