A classique example of intercaste marriage, very beautifully portrayed in the movie ‘Jodha Akbar’.
Jodha a typical Hindu girl, who only knows Lord Krishna, does all the customs a Hindu girl is supposed to do and dreams of marrying a Rajput and carrying on the traditions of their family.
Akbar, a true Muslim Emperor who prays to Allah to guide him before taking any decision, a fighter in every aspect.
Jodha is a pure vegetarian where as Akbar ate only flesh and meat most of the time.
This was their story. They were opposites in all aspects.
In this movie Akbar made the compromise. Being a Muslim he allowed his wife to follow her own religion, He decided to eat vegetarian food once a week and most importantly gave place for Lord Krishna in his house, which I think no one even in today’s generation would do.
Seeing Akbar’s love even Jodha learnt to adjust and learned Urdu. She stood by her husband throughout her life. And thus their marriage was successful.
This was Jodha-Akbar, one of the best movies that I have seen till date. This movie teaches us to accept all religions and people the way they are.
Jodha-Akbar belongs those olden days. But in thinking they are far better than us. Today if you decide to marry someone from the other caste, they force you to convert even if you don’t know the head and tail of that religion. You are forced to change your name, your entire identity.
I have many of my friends who have converted and are now known by the name their inlaws have chosen for them. They are born Hindus, but completely behave like Muslims. It was very difficult for them to adjust, but in the end the husband had an upper hand. They are still living this new life only for their love. Whether they are happy or not, No one cares. They doing what they are expected to do and keeping everyone around them happy.
Unfortunately there is no Akbar in today’s world who will stand up for his Jodha.
That is why this movie gained a lot of respect from all the castes and communities because we all know that we will never get to see another Jodha-Akbar in our lifetime.
Religion cannot be forced upon anyone. If you change only for the sake of it, you are not only insulting yourself but also you’re God.
Is there anyway that these old customs can be changed?
Is converting more important than protection of a human identity?
