Revisiting the colonial myth of "the effeminate Bengali babu"

Also known as, "Gender and Sexuality in South Asia." Welcome back and asalaam alaykum, comrades. If you've stopped to read Rob's unqualified assertions, continued reading. If not, turn back while you've the time.

So, who exactly is "the effeminate Bengali babu"? Well, he is the racist characterization the British created for the Indian natives who served them in Bengal. The British have long been obsessed with taxonomy and categorization. That is why the spent years measuring people’s noses and heads in South Asia in an effort to explain their genetic inferiority. Time well spent I’m sure.

Oddly enough, the British, never considered particularly masculine stateside, liked to go around calling Indians fairies for being so easily conquered. This was most often expressed in terms of how much less masculine the Indians were than the British. In Bengal, where the heart of British power lay, genetics and malnutrition conspired to make the populace extremely short. Searching for explanations as to how British dominance could possibly have happened in so little time, the rulers maturely pointed out that not only was the European intellect superior, but the physique as well.

Being subtle scholars, however, the British recognized that clearly not ALL Indian men were created equal. They were all inferior in different ways of course. They grudgingly conceded that men from the Punjab tended to be fairly well-constructed all things considered. The white sahibs also pulled concepts out of thin air that Muslims were a different and physically superior race to Hindus and more suited to martial occupations. They ignored the fact that Bengal was mostly Muslim… so much for academic integrity.

Now of course, we all think this is total bollocks. Neither Muslims nor Hindus can claim physical superiority. No, Indians are not weak and ill-adapted to demanding tasks. I mean, just check out their mean cricketing skills. The British were just a bunch of macho, arrogant liars… or were they…

Clearly, I don’t countenance the racist colonial discourse on Indian masculinity. That said, many, if not most, stereotypes have a basis in reality, no matter how obscure or easily explained. For the comparatively short stature of most Indians, malnutrition is a major culprit. Other observations I have made here are less easily explained, or explained away. Now, I do not imply that they necessarily require an answer. It’s not that the American way is the correct way and theirs is a perversion. I merely note differences from my own culture that strike me.

Now that the warnings have been made, let me say, Indian men generally seem much more effeminate based on U.S. heteronormative standards than their American, European, and Chinese counterparts. What do you mean by “effeminate,” Rob? Ok, this is a valid question, but we all know what I mean. I refer to behaviors stereotypically regarded as feminine in the U.S. Whether or not they actually are doesn’t matter. I’m evaluating by general U.S. standards, not my own. What do you base this on, Rob? Nothing scientific, I assure you. A few observations perhaps…

-Young Indian men tend to wear designer (almost always designer bootleg) clothing that would turn some curious heads in Columbus, Ohio. I don’t refer to the poorest people, but even lower-income gentlemen seem to lay their hands on some flamboyant apparel.

-Many men here seem to have a penchant for public dancing and singing which would be frowned upon in the U.S.

-Mannerisms both physically and in speech in this part of the country give the impression of uncertainty and indecision. I refer especially to the side-to-side nod which accompanies most answers, be they positive or negative. More generally, even, posture and the way one holds one’s arms seems to lack masculine certitude.

-Hairstyles requiring much oil and often fastidious grooming add to the overall impression I have received.

-We have all seen young women hold hands in public at some point, right? We don’t usually make any assumptions on their sexuality based on that, but if we saw two dudes walking down the street hand-in-hand, we would probably assume they were homosexual or bisexual. Well in India, guys are holding hands all the time, and they aren’t gay… not even a little bit. I see it with every age and class of male (though less among older, upper-class men). It was really odd for me to see that at first as I can’t really imagine doing that. I would just never think to hold hands with a male friend, or even a female friend. Men also sit closer together here and touch each other more than one would find in the U.S.

Of course there are a million exceptions and plenty of Delhi’s laborers could give the crustiest NYC construction worker a lesson about what it means to be a “dude.” Nevertheless, I stand behind my observations on general tendencies that differ here. As I said before, one could make many reasonable explanations such as, “lack of space has lowered certain physical inhibitions that we still have in the U.S.” To that I would have to answer, though, what about China? Chinese men may not be known for their stature, but I found most of them to be very masculine, overly masculine in fact. “Ok, Rob, but dancing is an integral part of traditional Indian cultures and dance prowess is considered masculine in India.” Sure, I agree, so what’s my point? I don’t have a hidden agenda. I simply think it’s all very interesting. One begins to see how the British formed their misimpressions, though still not going along with them. Ideas of properly male behavior differ in each society. They merely differ less from Britain to the U.S. than from the U.S. to India.

Before signing off, I have two more comments about gender and sexuality ‘round ‘ere. For those of you who are (bi)curious (I am kidding of course), the LGBT scene here is way underground. Alternative sexualities are not publicly acceptable and homosexuality is still illegal in many areas. Sexuality is repressed in general, but homosexuality especially so. There must be Indians who are out, but I sure don’t know who they are, and their parents probably don’t either. People don’t really like to talk about it either judging by the suitably oblique inquiries I have made.

Despite public aversion to sexual matters, there is one sexually idiosyncratic feature of Indian society that is very well known. Research indicates that about 1 in 100 children are born having ambiguous sex, neither fully male, nor female. In India, historically, such newborns could expect infanticide at worse and to be abandoned on a good day. They existed outside the caste system as non-persons in many regards. Often, these people banded together in itinerant groups finding work where they could. Many such bands became involved with traveling theatre.

When rumor spread that a sexually ambiguous child had been born, a nearby group often showed up at the house and demanded the parents give them the child to raise so that he/she would not be victimized or killed in the natal village. More often than not, ashamed parents were just as happy to part with such a child.

Bollywood has popularized these sexually-ambiguous people as jester-type characters and they are depicted as having masculine features, including facial stubble, but wearing garish female clothing and make up. They often speak in high voices and are generally figures of fun. Last weekend, I saw three people at a market who perfectly fit the Bollywood stereotype. It was like a scene from a movie actually. They were tall, taller than most Indian men and had 5:00 shadows for all to see. Their lips displayed a red lipstick so bright it hurt the eyes. Their long hair was tucked under veils and they wore neon green and saffron saris. I wanted to take a picture for you all because it was such a sight, but soon realized how completely messed up that would be. I guess you can take the boy out of Ohio, but… etc.

As a result of this missed photographic opportunity, I’m just including varied shots today. All the tacky garbage belonged to Indira Gandhi. See if you can guess which countries gave her the plates?

So, that about wraps it up. This entry is somewhat unfocused because I’m just sharing some intriguing bits I’ve picked up here and there. Hopefully someone finds it stimulating. Let me tell you, it’s no small task to put together an entry on this topic in a country where kissing is prohibited in movies.

Now playing: "Welcome to the Terrordome" - Public Enemy. Unfortunately, there's no good link for this, so here's "Fight the Power" instead: http://youtube.com/watch?v=CuTi9UZtPbw&mode=related&search=