LIFE IN SOUTHERN INDIA DESCRIBED BY WOMEN'S CLUB SPEAKER

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 164, 29 July 1937, Page 11

LIFE IN SOUTHERN INDIA DESCRIBED BY WOMEN'S CLUB SPEAKER

Great interest was taken by the memocrs of the Women 's Community Club in the address given by Mr Brough at their meeting yesterday afternoon, Mr« Brough having lived in southern India for about 33 years. The leader of the literary circlo, Mrs W. J. White introduced Mrs Brough to the members and at the conclusion of her very interesting address thanked her on the members' behalf and pre-. .sonled her with a posy of spring bvlbs from the members of the gardening circle. "India is a country that is so immcnse and has such great contrasts that every' statement I make could easily be contradicted by someone who ca-me from another part of the counIiy," said Mrs Brough. "Firstly, the climate varies considerably, in the nortli in the mountainous areas it is tremendously cold, while in the south wliere I lived for 33 years it was always mid-suminer, with the result that the country was frightfully hot' and barren. In every respect one notieed these contrasts. The clothes of the high-class women, who are most beautiful and graceful, were in tho lcveliest silks in most delicate colours, while the great inasses of tho people Uie ahnost naked and very forlorn kokmg. The general style of the people and their looks vary considerably also. "The rainfall is so strange that it is possible to have a river in one part so fiooded that it is 37 inchas above iis usual level while only two miles away the country is sufi'ering from drought; floods and drought seem to go side by side. Then again there is the tremendous money difl'erence; the rich high-class people are among the richest in the world, while the poverty of the poorer people is absolutely appalling, over 70 million never having more than one meal a day. "In their brain work the Brahmin people are ainong the greatest thinkers in the "world, while the poor outcasts live a life made terrible by their eonstant superstitions and fears." The speaker said that in this land of 250 million people, one-fifth of the world 's population, there were two questkms which made their govern"nieut so complicated, religion and caste. The Mohammedan people despised the Hindus and vice versa and thfere was

constant fighting between these two people,? and the British people had to try to keep the balance. The Mohammedans were against any reform and so in places where they were in tho' majority it was most difficult to carry out any reforms. Mrs Brough said that the caste oroblem was another great trouble. There were half-a-dozen main castes and hundreds of sub castes. The highcaste people were charming and well educated, but the unfortunate low caste or outcasts were brutally treated and were not even treated as well as dogs. They suffered terrible hardships with lack of water and food and. though these conditions were mueh improved in the eities where educated people and missionaries had worked. the condition in the villages where 68 per cent of the people lived had j-et to be improved. "The attitude, however, has changcd very considerably towards Christianity," said Mrs Brough, "and I was able to notice a very great differenca between the time when I first went- to India 36 ' years ago and when I left three years ago. • Everywhere tho Christian teachings were given 4, very sympathetic hearing. It is, however. very difficult to teach the outcastes because they have absolutely no vocabulary except the names of the things which they can see and touch. These people turn towards Christianity in large numbers and though at first tho men and boys were the only ones who listened to our teaching, we now have many trained women. The women had never been taught to read and write and the girls wero considered to have nq brains, but by now this has been proved wrong and the young generation feels differently. "The change among the outcaste people is wonderful and the higk-caste people have often changed also. In former times they would not touch an outcaste, but now not only are they taught by them but they sit beside them in our sehools. The high-caste people can see the tremendous differcnce in the outcastes, their new cleanliness and decency and the fresh interest tliat the parents take in their children and they realise that it is the Christian teaching that has brought about this change." Before concluding, Mrs Brough described some of her personal experiences and gave details about how she had commenced training the girls, and said that before she left India three year3 ago she was able to see the fruits of her work when girls that she had trained were able to go out into tho sehools and train others. , The club members then ad journed to the ncxt roorn for afternoon tea and they were interested to talk to Mrs Brough. Among those present were: Mrs W. J. White, Mrs H. Lovell-Smith, Mrs R. l'uflett, Mrs W. G. Stearl, Mrs H. W. C. Baird, Mrs II. Stratton, Miss Uelcn Ford, Mrs A. Giorgi, Mrs A- M. Brodio, Miss Conimin, Mrs A. Oliver, Mrs Rees Davies, Mrs Cato, Mrs George Davies, Mrs S. F. Budd, Mrs G. Dyer, Mrs B. Shadbolt, Mrs D. J. Holden, Mrs J. Wilson, Mrs Hedley Harvey, Mr" C. G. Wilkinson, Mrs U. Johnson, 'Jlrs Moorhouse, Mrs A. Lockie, Mrs O. C. Moller, Mrs W. B. Nichol, Mrs IJouald Robertfiou und Mios 15. HnrtficjH.