Essay Questions

How does Deepa Mehta illustrate that there is religious tolerance in India before the partition takes place?

Lenny narrates how her nanny Shanta is a beautiful woman with two Muslim suitors namely Hassan and Navaz. Shanta is a Hindu but the religious difference does not prevent her relationship with the Muslim suitors to blossom. There is a high level of coexistence among different religious affiliations. Besides Shanta and her Muslim suitors, Hindus, and other people from different religions live as one community. However, things start to take a drastic change starting the year 1947 during the Partition of India. Muslims turn against Hindus. The bond between people of different religions starts to deteriorate because of their different political interests.

Why is diving India becoming unhealthy according to Lenny’s narration?

Lenny tells her story from childhood till her adulthood and she recounts every event in her life. While she is a young girl, her family remains partisan and coexists well with people of various political and religious affiliations. The arrival of the British in India changes the normal way of life because they start dividing it into two states, India and Pakistan. The division includes religious and political animosity. Religions turn against each other and those who do not support a certain group. Therefore, the division is unhealthy because it destabilizes the peaceful coexistence that has been there for years.

What does Shanta’s beauty represent in the film?

Shanta is Lenny’s granny and she is described as gorgeous despite her age. Many men are chasing after her. She is a Hindu and the men after her are Muslims. Shanta's beauty signifies that love has no boundaries. Under normal circumstances, men and women are expected to marry partners from their respective religions but what the viewer is witnessing in this film implies that love can navigate beyond the norms and set boundaries.