Eunuchs: India's Third Gender: Difference between revisions
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For the two forbidden lovers Kiran and Dinesh, creating and maintaining an acceptable relationship with a Eunuch is no easy task, but the two love each other very much. Their love is so strong that once Dinesh leaves for work as a driver, Kiran cannot function without him. Kiran doesn't eat without Dinesh and she's only happy when they are together. Although Eunuchs may live freely in India, society will not accept them and would discriminate against a romantic relationship. Although Kiran and Dinesh accepted one another, the opinion of the Indian society can be oppressive. That didn't stop them from falling in love.<ref name=":03" /> |
For the two forbidden lovers Kiran and Dinesh, creating and maintaining an acceptable relationship with a Eunuch is no easy task, but the two love each other very much. Their love is so strong that once Dinesh leaves for work as a driver, Kiran cannot function without him. Kiran doesn't eat without Dinesh and she's only happy when they are together. Although Eunuchs may live freely in India, society will not accept them and would discriminate against a romantic relationship. Although Kiran and Dinesh accepted one another, the opinion of the Indian society can be oppressive. That didn't stop them from falling in love.<ref name=":03" /> |
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Kiran has gone through [[castration]] to live fully as a Eunuch. Eunuch castration is a highly symbolic act, and the surgical removal of male genitalia is prominent in the Eunuch gender and community.<ref name=":22">{{Cite journal|last=Weber|first=Brenda R.|date=2013|title=Masculinity, American Modernity, and Body Modification: A Feminist Reading of American Eunuchs|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/668552|journal=Signs|volume=38|issue=3|pages=671–694|doi=10.1086/668552|issn=0097-9740}}</ref> Castration is usually performed after being in the [[Eunuch]] community for many years. Although the community creates a sense of belonging, members are subject to marginalization and discrimination visited upon them by the rest of society. However, many do not go through with castration, feminizing surgery, hormone medication, growing out hair, donning female attires, or other aspects of living as a Eunuch.<ref name=":22" /> |
Kiran has gone through [[castration]] to live fully as a [[Eunuch]]. Eunuch castration is a highly symbolic act, and the surgical removal of male genitalia is prominent in the Eunuch gender and community.<ref name=":22">{{Cite journal|last=Weber|first=Brenda R.|date=2013|title=Masculinity, American Modernity, and Body Modification: A Feminist Reading of American Eunuchs|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/668552|journal=Signs|volume=38|issue=3|pages=671–694|doi=10.1086/668552|issn=0097-9740}}</ref> Castration is usually performed after being in the [[Eunuch]] community for many years. Although the community creates a sense of belonging, members are subject to marginalization and discrimination visited upon them by the rest of society. However, many do not go through with castration, feminizing surgery, hormone medication, growing out hair, donning female attires, or other aspects of living as a Eunuch.<ref name=":22" /> |
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Kiran lives in [[Kathiawar]], where Eunuchs are perceived negatively and are not welcomed. Harish, an aspiring Eunuch, frequents Kiran's home and is taken under his wing. Harish keeps his Eunuch desires a secret from his wife and children for fear of ruining his relationship with them. His family is not open to Eunuchs and he fears they would not accept his wishes. Eight months earlier, Hirash's wife had left him with their kids to live with her parents. When she came back, Hirash had almost gone through the process of castration. Hirsh's wife is at a crossroads. She knows her husband will never stop living as a Eunuch, but the negative social stigma around gender is something she cannot fully accept.<ref name=":03" /> |
Kiran lives in [[Kathiawar]], where Eunuchs are perceived negatively and are not welcomed. Harish, an aspiring Eunuch, frequents Kiran's home and is taken under his wing. Harish keeps his Eunuch desires a secret from his wife and children for fear of ruining his relationship with them. His family is not open to Eunuchs and he fears they would not accept his wishes. Eight months earlier, Hirash's wife had left him with their kids to live with her parents. When she came back, Hirash had almost gone through the process of castration. Hirsh's wife is at a crossroads. She knows her husband will never stop living as a Eunuch, but the negative social stigma around gender is something she cannot fully accept.<ref name=":03" /> |
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== Production == |
== Production == |
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''Eunuchs: India's Third Gender'' was produced by assistant producers Surinder Puri and Aruna Har Parsad. Parsad also does the narration for the film.<ref name=":42">{{Cite web|title=Eunuchs - India's Third Gender (1991)|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7b41fa6d|access-date=2020-11-20|website=BFI|language=en}}</ref> [[BBC Elstree Centre|BBC Elstree]], located in the [[United Kingdom|United Kingdom,]] is the production company behind the film.<ref name=":42" /> Michael Yorke, an [[anthropologist]], directed and originated the concept for the [[Documentary film|documentary]].<ref name=":42" /> |
''[https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7b41fa6d Eunuchs: India's Third Gender]'' was produced by assistant producers Surinder Puri and Aruna Har Parsad. Parsad also does the narration for the film.<ref name=":42">{{Cite web|title=Eunuchs - India's Third Gender (1991)|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7b41fa6d|access-date=2020-11-20|website=BFI|language=en}}</ref> [[BBC Elstree Centre|BBC Elstree]], located in the [[United Kingdom|United Kingdom,]] is the production company behind the film.<ref name=":42" /> Michael Yorke, an [[anthropologist]], directed and originated the concept for the [[Documentary film|documentary]].<ref name=":42" /> |
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Yorke had done a separate screen from the original 1991 debut thirty years later at [[Lamakaan|Lamaakan's]] open theater.<ref>{{Cite web|last=TelanganaToday|title=Eunuchs… a tad too late|url=https://telanganatoday.com/eunuchs-a-tad-too-late|access-date=2020-11-20|website=Telangana Today|language=en-US}}</ref> |
Yorke had done a separate screen from the original 1991 debut thirty years later at [[Lamakaan|Lamaakan's]] open theater.<ref>{{Cite web|last=TelanganaToday|title=Eunuchs… a tad too late|url=https://telanganatoday.com/eunuchs-a-tad-too-late|access-date=2020-11-20|website=Telangana Today|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 23:04, 8 January 2021
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (December 2020) |
Eunuchs: India's Third Gender is a 1991 ethnographic film documenting the lives of two castrated men, Kiran and Dinesh, who share their experiences after undergoing castration. The film covers a variety of topics including gender, sexuality, homophobia, discrimination, and cultural anthropology. [1]
Synopsis
The ethnographic film illustrates three main themes: love, history, and exclusion within the society of India using a linear narrative.[2] The scenes and sequences are presented as a collage narrative structure, meaning that the events depicted are arranged out of order.[2]
For the two forbidden lovers Kiran and Dinesh, creating and maintaining an acceptable relationship with a Eunuch is no easy task, but the two love each other very much. Their love is so strong that once Dinesh leaves for work as a driver, Kiran cannot function without him. Kiran doesn't eat without Dinesh and she's only happy when they are together. Although Eunuchs may live freely in India, society will not accept them and would discriminate against a romantic relationship. Although Kiran and Dinesh accepted one another, the opinion of the Indian society can be oppressive. That didn't stop them from falling in love.[1]
Kiran has gone through castration to live fully as a Eunuch. Eunuch castration is a highly symbolic act, and the surgical removal of male genitalia is prominent in the Eunuch gender and community.[3] Castration is usually performed after being in the Eunuch community for many years. Although the community creates a sense of belonging, members are subject to marginalization and discrimination visited upon them by the rest of society. However, many do not go through with castration, feminizing surgery, hormone medication, growing out hair, donning female attires, or other aspects of living as a Eunuch.[3]
Kiran lives in Kathiawar, where Eunuchs are perceived negatively and are not welcomed. Harish, an aspiring Eunuch, frequents Kiran's home and is taken under his wing. Harish keeps his Eunuch desires a secret from his wife and children for fear of ruining his relationship with them. His family is not open to Eunuchs and he fears they would not accept his wishes. Eight months earlier, Hirash's wife had left him with their kids to live with her parents. When she came back, Hirash had almost gone through the process of castration. Hirsh's wife is at a crossroads. She knows her husband will never stop living as a Eunuch, but the negative social stigma around gender is something she cannot fully accept.[1]
In the state of Rajasthan, a Eunuch community exists, overlooked by Sharada Bai, the per guru and head of over one-hundred Eunuchs. She lives in a mansion with eight disciples and holds the power to appoint other one-hundred Eunuchs in neighboring territories. Eunuchs possess strong family ties, and being a disciple in Sharada Bai's family means she becomes a parent. The mansion in which the Eunuchs live is a lavish and historically rich one that cannot be sold or destroyed. Looking over the mansion is a sign to honor the past and the history of a Eunuch's purpose. The tradition of greeting the guru in the morning by bowing and touching the feet is a sign of respect, alongside castration, which is a sign of loyalty. The Eunuch mansion's guru contains healing properties for the family members, who look to the guru for guidance and giving the Eunuchs hope.[1]
Most cities in modern India aren't accepting, mostly due to cultural and religious prejudices. In Bombay, the guru Regamath lives with fourteen disciple Eunuchs. Expenses are more difficult compared to Rajasthan, and the Eunuch's only source of income is prostitution. Every evening the Eunuchs head to the red-light district to sell themselves. Along with prostitution, Eunuchs also ask for money. They use a clapping method on the street to intimidate the public into giving them money. They also lift their garments to show their genitalia as another form of intimidation. This behavior and occupation is one that causes more divide and discrimination between modern Eunuchs and modern Indian society.[1]
Production
Eunuchs: India's Third Gender was produced by assistant producers Surinder Puri and Aruna Har Parsad. Parsad also does the narration for the film.[4] BBC Elstree, located in the United Kingdom, is the production company behind the film.[4] Michael Yorke, an anthropologist, directed and originated the concept for the documentary.[4]
Yorke had done a separate screen from the original 1991 debut thirty years later at Lamaakan's open theater.[5]
Background
Director Dr. Michael Yorke was always fascinated with the Indian culture. In 1962, he spent time hitchhiking in India, and became interested in the culture, society, and people of India. Yorke's main goal in all of his ethnographies is for the audience to explore the "other" in society or those who are deemed abnormal.[6] The success of Eunuchs: India's Third Gender derived from Yorke's ongoing fascination and excitement which is evident in the ethnography. According to Yorke, Eunuch subjects are intelligent and analytical. Whenever he visited India for his fieldwork, they were fascinating, welcoming, and informative. A western observer like Yorke is always treated kindly by the Eunuch community, which played a huge part in successfully creating the film.[6]
Film review conducted by anthropologist Pauline Kolenda discuss Yorke's film along with Jareena: Portrait of a Hijda. Both films display the Eunuch or hijra community in South Asia. Eunuchs: India's Third Gender along with Jareena: Portrait of a Hijda broadened discussion on sexuality and gender.[7]
Release
The film's debut was in 1991 and it was televised on the BBC Network.[4] The film was also released on DVD and can be found on various university resource engines.[8]
Reception
Eunuchs: India's Third Gender was Michael Yorke's most significant success. However, the public reception of the film is mixed. Yorke explains that there is a balance between being an anthropologist and filmmaker.[6] Yorke's primary goal in his ethnographies is to showcase indigenous viewpoint in hopes to make indigenous people proud of their heritage and culture.[6]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e "Eunuchs: India's Third Gender.", directed by Michael Yorke. , BBC Worldwide, 1991. Alexander Street, https://video-alexanderstreet-com.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu/watch/eunuchs-india-s-third-gender.
- ^ a b Henderson, Carole; Jhala, Jayasinhji. Introducing Ethnographic Media and Film in a Globalizing World.
- ^ a b Weber, Brenda R. (2013). "Masculinity, American Modernity, and Body Modification: A Feminist Reading of American Eunuchs". Signs. 38 (3): 671–694. doi:10.1086/668552. ISSN 0097-9740.
- ^ a b c d "Eunuchs - India's Third Gender (1991)". BFI. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ TelanganaToday. "Eunuchs… a tad too late". Telangana Today. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Michael Yorke". Anthropologists' bookshelves. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
- ^ Kolenda, Pauline (1993). "Review of Jareena: Portrait of a Hijda, ; Eunuchs - India's Third Gender". American Anthropologist. 95 (2): 517–518. ISSN 0002-7294.
- ^ Yorke, Michael (1991). Eunuchs: India's third gender. London, England: British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC). OCLC 773797048.
Bibliography
- Michael Yorke's 2005 film Holy Men and Fools