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Debangshu Dey

Ms.Gobbi

HRE3M1

October 26th 2010

A Brief Study of Hinduism in City of Joy

Hinduism is a way of life. There is not any strict code of beliefs which confirms one as a

practicing Hindu. Hinduism in reality and in City of Joy is backdrop in people’s lives. The movie, “City of

Joy”, teaches us nothing about traditional Hinduism. It is merely a feel good, “Hollywood” piece of fluff

but it elaborates about various undertones such as the cycle of Samsara, inexistence of traditional

aspects and survival of rituals which are not a part of mainstream Hinduism.

City of Joy does not highlight any traditional aspects of Hinduism. It enlightens us about certain

chores which should ensure Moksha as “Karma is central to Hindu faith” (Gobbi 2010). Hindus believe

everything is Brahman. Hazare Pal believes the all life giving force is taking his test as he explains “If the

journey is not what you expect, do not be surprised.” (City of Joy) .Ones Atman should go through all the

hardships provided by Brahman. People that perform good karma will be better rewarded in the process

of Samsara. Hindus believe the life going force Brahman challenges them to get rid of disillusionment in

life to get rid of Maya. According to Hazare, God tests character, courage and obedience at difficult

times. Hazare migrated from his native village to the city of Calcutta to ensure the survival of his family.

He did not lose courage when his livelihood was endangered. He donated his time to the formation of
the clinic. He projects a message one shouldn’t lose hope in desperate times. On the other hand, Ashok,

the corrupt son was an atrocious figure in society. He snatched a large chunk of all the Rickshaw wala’s

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income. In Hinduism, one is believed to achieve good only with the blessings of others. Following this

interpretation, Ashok received hatred from all the Rickshaw walas. The evil outweighed the good and

thus he was killed at the end.

The movie highlights how the traditional aspects are virtually in existent in today’s world. One is

not able to attain the stages of a Forest Dweller or a Sanyasin for various reasons. People in the slums,

like Hazare cannot afford to banish their livelihood to attain Sanyasin, the fourth stage .Only the rich can

afford to banish their worldly desires. It is indeed paradoxical for people who have the most to banish

wealth. For instance, Mr. Ghatak wants to leave his duties and peacefully be united with whomever he is

destined to meet. Mr. Ghatak rightly states his secret behind the success of his oppressive rule “If

people have nothing, they want nothing and if they have something, their want grows” (City of Joy).The

poor have no hope of the future. They remain unstable all their life. They have no say in the Indian

populace. The movie highlights a society in which William Harrison’s thought applies of “The rich getting

richer and the poor getting poorer”. The impoverished go through hunger, starvation. Human life

perishes and its psychological stability plummets when the basic need of survival are not met. In the

present context Sri Ramakrishna rightly stated “Religion is not for the empty stomachs.”(Ramakrishna

35) when he was appalled by the poverty of the masses. With 80 percent of India living under a dollar a

day, one cannot certainly expect a majority of the population to disregard the “war in which money

creates the only barrier” (City of Joy) for the sake of religion.

On one hand, core traditional values are being overlooked; customs like dowry and

untouchability which aren’t a part of the main stream of Hinduism still exist as highlighted in City of Joy.
In the movie, Amrita’s in laws demand dowry. In the negotiation, they demand a dowry due to their

higher social position than that of Hazare Pal. He responds saying “My daughter is a gem, she will make

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any household a heaven she steps into” (City of Joy). This concept is evident in the western society as

well. By convention, the Bride’s father is supposed to pay for the wedding expenses. The situation of

dowry arises when the girl is from an inferior caste. The girl’s side is forced to come to terms with the

conditions of the boy’s side. The caste system is strongly imposed. The untouchables are the outcaste in

the Indian society but in the movie, the Lepers fit the description of being unwanted. The Lepers are

despised. The riot in the movie breaks out because of the admission of the Lepers in to the ‘unwanted

Leper’ community. The movie expresses the narrow mindedness of the people who hate the admission

of Lepers. The most astonishing fact of this slum is that the absence of law and order. The corruption

which runs rampant is to be blamed for the inactiveness from the authority’s part. The land lord bribes

the police to stay away from his territory. The oppressors get the upper hand in the absence of any

proper institution. In these conditions, the wish of one individual becomes the voices of many. This gives

rise to communal hatred. Accordingly, the Lepers are marginalized. Many issues have risen over the

years. Issues like communal hatred and religious land disputes which oust religion to suit the wishes of

an individual or a group.

In conclusion, the characters perform good or bad karma as in the cases of Hazare and Ashok

which results in their destiny of the former being praised for the murder of the latter. In essence, the

poor just cannot afford to get rid of their duties and attain Sanyasin. To put it differently, the movie also

shows the exclusion of the minority and educates us about the unfair practices like dowry and

untouchability.
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Works Cited

Gobbi,M.L, Hinduism, Unit Class Notes. October, 1-26, 2010

“City of Joy”, Romain Jaffe, Universal Studios, 1993

Ramakrishna,Sri. Tales and Parables of Sri Ramakrishna. Mylapore: Math Printing House,1947.