Summary Of Deepa Mehta's 'Water And A Man Of The People'

When developing countries attempted to modernize after European colonization, many native cultures suffered from society’s shift out of traditionalism as the effects of the post-colonial era became more apparent. The challenges facing new states imposed a necessity for respective countries to undertake new governmental systems, national identities, and a collective societal withdrawal from self-identification based upon ethnicity, religion, or regional identity. These newly developed nation states and their transition into modernity created conflict within each affected culture; corrupting their values, traditions, and political systems. Deepa Mehta’s films, “Earth” and “Water”, as well as novels, “A Man of the People” by Chinua Achebe and “Nectar in the Sieve” by Kamala Markandaya, follow the narratives of several protagonists; Odili, Lenny, Shanta, Rukmani, Chuyia and others, as they attempt to survive and struggle through the many obstacles in their changing worlds.

In Mehta’s film, “Water”, the audience is introduced to India in 1938 and the religious implications of ancient Hindu law upheld within traditional society. The story surrounds the life of 6-year old Chuyia,

The exposition of the film presents the citizens of India and the nationalism that brought about their state’s separation. The populations, despite religious and ethnic differences are exhibited living alongside one another, peacefully. In spite of this, as Lenny and Shanta’s journey plays out, the audience comes to understand that the state of India has come to be fragmented during the absence of European rule. Civilians within the country are segregated between Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs; with the differing populations calling for the recognition and definition of Pakistani and Indian