Kala pani

Kala pani

The Kala Pani (literally, black water) represents the taboo of the sea in Indian culture, for which sailing the high waves and leaving the mainland meant confronting "houglis" or monsters.

Fear of crossing the Kala Pani also derives from the notion that it entailed the end of the reincarnation cycle, as the traveller was cut off from the regenerating waters of the Ganges. Such voyages also meant breaking family and social ties. This taboo accounts for the disinterest in overseas commerce on the part of high caste Hindus, who therefore left this lucrative field to Muslims, and to Christians and Jews settled in the spice enclaves such as Cochin and Calicut.

When slavery was abolished in Mauritius in 1834, the authorities looked for indentured labor to replace the slaves who had been emancipated. The emissaries sent to India for this purpose were astute in attracting so-called "coolies" to the countries such as South Africa, Mauritius, Fiji and the Caribbean that requiring cheap labor, which were often presented as "promised lands." But many prospective candidates for the distant colonies expressed their fears of crossing the Kala Pani [See the website Kala Pani at http://indenturedindian.wordpress.com] . So the British often employed a stratagem to dispel the doubts of the indentured: they placed water from the Ganges in large cauldrons on the ships, to ensure the continuity of reincarnation beyond the Kala Pani. The sea voyage was then seen as less fearsome.

Mauritian poet and critic Khal Torabully describes the Kala Pani as a source not only of the dissolution of identity, but also of beauty and reconstruction, leading to what he terms a "coral imaginary."

References

* Khal Torabully, "Cale d'étoiles-coolitude explores".

Sorry the term Kala Pani was actually coined and associated as well as most commonly known as an off shore island used by British during their rule in India to incarcerate hard core criminals and anyone who strongly oppose to their rule in India. But off course today British government would not mention all that.

External links

* Lomarsh Roopnarine, [http://www.guyanachronicle.com/supplement.html The Long Journey to Today: East Indians in Guyana] . "Guyana Chronicle Online"
* [http://www.ignca.nic.in/id_indentured_003.htm Crossing of Kala Pani] , from the exhibition [http://www.ignca.nic.in/id_exhib001.htm ORIGINS: Creative Tracks of Indian Diaspora]
* [http://indenturedindian.wordpress.com Kala Pani website]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Kala Pani — can refer to:* Kalapani a 1958 Hindustani film. * Kala Pani a village in Abbottabad district in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan …   Wikipedia

  • Kala pani — Le Kala Pani désigne un tabou de l hindouisme de ne pas franchir les eaux sombres ou noires de l océan, nommément, l océan Indien et de ne pas entreprendre de longs voyages, car cela signifierait une rupture du cycle de la réincarnation, et une… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Kala Pani, Pakistan — Kala Pani is a village of Abbottabad District in the North West Frontier Province, Pakistan. It is located 12km from Abbottabad city on the Abbottabad Thandiani Road [http://www.wwfpak.org/22 07 05killingleopards.php WWF Pakistan] ] at 34°12 30N… …   Wikipedia

  • Kala Pani (1996 film) — Infobox Film name = Kalapani writer = T. Damodharan, Priyadarshan starring = Mohanlal, Prabhu Ganesan, Amrish Puri, Tabu, Nedumudi Venu, Sreenivasan, Annu Kapoor director = Priyadarshan producer = Mohanlal released = 1996 runtime = language =… …   Wikipedia

  • Kalapani (film) — Kala Pani redirects here, for the 1996 film starring Mohanlal see Kala Pani (1996 film)Infobox Film name =Kalapani image size = caption = director = Raj Khosla producer = Dev Anand writer = narrator = starring = Dev Anand Madhubala music = Sachin …   Wikipedia

  • Invasion and occupation of the Andaman Islands during World War II — The Andaman and Nicobar Islands (8,293 km² on 139 islands), are a group of islands situated in the Bay of Bengal at about 780 miles from Kolkata, 740 miles from Chennai and 120 miles from Cape Nargis in Burma. Until 1938 the British government… …   Wikipedia

  • Dev Anand — at a press conference releasing his autobiography Romancing with Life Born Dharam Dev Anand September 26, 1923 (1923 09 26) (age 88) …   Wikipedia

  • Nirmal Verma — This article is about the Hindi author. For the Chief of the Indian Navy, see Nirmal Kumar Verma. Nirmal Verma Born April 3, 1929(1929 04 03) Shimla, Himachal Pradesh …   Wikipedia

  • Andaman Islands — The Andaman Islands are a group of islands in the Bay of Bengal, and are part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory of India. Port Blair is the chief community on the islands, and the administrative centre of the Union Territory. The …   Wikipedia

  • Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind — This article describes the organisation formed during World War II in Singapore. For the Provisional Government formed by Raja Mahendra Pratap during World War I, see Provisional Government of India. . 2nd Row (L to R): Lt Col Gulzara Singh, Lt… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”