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 start the day by playing with my son Babu 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 our 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 clay 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 the sari when she goes to school ganga watches other students spin cotton but she's most interested in domestic crabs 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 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's bungle 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 will have 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 returns home just in time for some excitement a visitor is arriving at the mansion in a bicycle ROP Mi runs to tell me for I must make the visitor comfortable this is another of my duties As a caretaker 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 moti 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 mansion 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 miti 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 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 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 Mi have the fun of 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 weigh 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 activity Morty 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 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 Mi would like to remain longer in this fascinating Bazaar 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 live without 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 put on a blouse under her long graceful dress duras sari is made from many yards of cloth and so is my Doty I put on my doe without using buttons or pins our soiled 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 dula grinds flour for bread Babu takes advantage of the movement while waiting for dinner to be prepared miti Gets a Haircut from the traveling barber in school M 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 dula prepares the tasty typical dishes of 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 Roti 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 thorough little Babu uses more than just his fingers while enjoying his Curry and rice is it good asked Babu one 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 babo plays dress up in his sister sorry 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