„PAROJAN‟

RESEARCHING THE TRADIONAL

AMEESHI GOENKA

-PDP 201

THE PROCESS

STEP 1- MIND MAP

Mind maps were made by us to guide us with what information we need

to find and the questions we may need to ask our research participants.

WHY DID I CHOSE THE TOPIC?

To me, Parojan is an interesting topic for research. It is a tradition that has been practised for several generations, and has been followed very rigidly by a specific group of families in the Marwari community. Even so, it has remained relatively obscure to those outside the Marwari community, and has never been formally documented. It had been practised with great sincerity until around fifteen years ago. Since then, families have made their own modifications to it. In certain cases, in order to perform the ritual for the benefit of their female children, some families choose to adopt a male child from within the extended family. This causes many changes in the structure of the extended family. An area of study that I believe deserves focus is how the adopted child copes with the day to day events of his new family, and what changes said family makes for the sake of the child.

STEP 2- WEB INFORMATION

The web did not have any information related to the Parojan in a few

Marwari families which may involve the adoption of a male child by a

couple who has only daughters during the ceremony.

STEP 3- RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS

Suman Goenka (my mother)

Shanti Devi Goenka (my grandmother)

Govind Ram Goenka (my grandfather)

Mrs. Dhanuka (a distant relative)

Method: in-depth interview

STEP 4- RESEARCH PAPER

After gathering all the data from all the research participants, we

followed a guideline for the research paper. It took three to four days, to

translate the interview material to English and use it in the paper, to

clarify doubts along the way, complete the writing and finally two rounds

of editing.

STEP 5- SUBIMSSION

Once the editing was done, the data was put into respective folders and

shared on dropbox with the facilitator and the class on the 23rd of

October, 2013.

THE CEREMONY

From the interview with the first and second research participants, I gathered that, the members of the family conducting the Parojan will leave their home under the shade of the traditional “chunri” and walk to the family temple where the “pujari” or priest will give them the “devi” to take home for the duration of the ceremony. Following that, the ceremony of “haldat” takes place. In this ceremony, the members of the family create rangoli out of crushed dal. Then, the family offers five bags of raw wheat, each weighing sixteen kilograms to the devi. The wheat is later ground in order to prepare dishes such as sweet oats, “poori”, “halwa” and others, which are eaten by the family members as “prasad”. The remaining prasad is distributed among the domestic help, and the underprivileged. The same night, the “ratri juga” is celebrated. Here, a “diya” is lit, and the ancestors of the family are invoked in order to seek their blessings. Throughout the night, the family remains awake. “Mishranis” sing the “geet”, and all female members of the extended family apply “mehendi” or henna on their hands and feet. The following morning, the entirety of the husband's side of the family along with the wife proceed to the abode of the wife's extended family, and take part in a ritual bathing. They then wear new clothes presented to them by the parents-in-law of the husband. Afterwards, the entire extended family proceeds under the shade of the “chunri” to the place where the Parojan for the children will be carried out. The ceremony itself takes place in multiple parts. The first part is the “anchjala” which involves the wife and her brother, and is followed by the wife and her sister-in-law. Here, the wife presents money to the elder females of the family, and seeks their blessings. The husband and children also seek the blessings of the elders by the act of touching their feet. Then, food and presents are brought and distributed to the entire family by the wife's parents. On the same night, after dinner, the “devi” is returned to the family temple, and given back to the “pujari”.

For every Parojan, the presence of the male child is strictly necessary. Should this not be the case, the place of the male child is taken by a symbolic coconut.

THE FOCUS

One of the main impacts of the Parojan is male child adoption.

It used to be taken extremely seriously until the 1980s. There were great

celebrations in the family and with neighbors if a son was born to a couple. It was

necessary for every couple to give birth to or adopt a male child. The adoption of

the child was done according to the religious customs and the law. Usually the child

was adopted within the family itself.

People used to believe that only a male child can protect the family and when

grown up will support his parents in their old age whereas the daughter will be

married and sent off to her husband‟s house in her teenage years. They thought

that it wasn‟t right for the girl to work and earn, that was only a man‟s job. A son was

essential to carry on the family name and inherit his ancestral property. There are

certain rituals during marriages, funerals and other ceremonies that only a son or a

brother can perform and his presence is compulsory. This belief also led to female

infanticide and domination of the males over the females in the Indian community.

In the present days, this custom is fading. People are making a conscious effort to

look at men and women equally. The women study, work, earn, carry forward their

family name and can raise their own family and take care of their parents. People

don‟t find it absolutely necessary to have a son.

RESEARCH PAPER

http://www.slideshare.net/AmeeshiGoenka/parojan

THANK YOU