Hindi Movie Ek Tha Raja

[Mariela Laflam]

Whilemost of the Indian salute states (those granted a gun salute by the British Crown) were ruled by a Maharaja (or variation; some promoted from an earlier Raja- or equivalent style), even exclusively from 13 guns up, a number had Rajas:

Rajadharma is the dharma that applies to the king, or the raja. Dharma is that which upholds, supports, or maintains the order of the universe and is based on truth.[4] It is of central importance in achieving order and balance within the world and does this by demanding certain necessary behaviors from people.

The king served two main functions as the raja: secular and religious.[5] The religious functions involved certain acts for propitiating gods, removing dangers, and guarding dharma, among other things. The secular functions involved helping prosperity (such as during times of famine), dealing out even-handed justice, and protecting people and their property. Once he helped the Vibhore to reach his goal by giving the devotion of his power in order to reduce the poverty from his kingdom.[5]

Protection of his subjects was seen as the first and foremost duty of the king. This was achieved by punishing internal aggression, such as thieves among his people, and meeting external aggression, such as attacks by foreign entities.[6] Moreover, the king possessed executive, judicial, and legislative dharmas, which he was responsible for carrying out. If he did so wisely, the king believed that he would be rewarded by reaching the pinnacle of the abode of the Sun, or heaven.[7] However, if the king carried out his office poorly, he feared that he would suffer hell or be struck down by a deity.[8] As scholar Charles Drekmeier notes, "dharma stood above the king, and his failure to preserve it must accordingly have disastrous consequences". Because the king's power had to be employed subject to the requirements of the various ashramas and varnas' dharma, failure to "enforce the code" transferred guilt on to the ruler, and according to Drekmeier some texts went so far as to justify revolt against a ruler who abused his power or inadequately performed his dharma. In other words, dharma as both the king's tool of coercion and power, yet also his potential downfall, "was a two-edged sword".[9]

The executive duty of the king was primarily to carry out punishment, or daṇḍa.[10] For instance, a judge who would give an incorrect verdict out of passion, ignorance, or greed is not worthy of the office, and the king should punish him harshly.[11] Another executive dharma of the king is correcting the behavior of brahmanas that have strayed from their dharma, or duties, through the use of strict punishment.[12] These two examples demonstrated how the king was responsible for enforcing the dharmas of his subjects, but also was in charge of enforcing rulings in more civil disputes.[13] Such as if a man is able to repay a creditor but does not do so out of mean-spiritedness, the king should make him pay the money and take five percent for himself.[14]

The judicial duty of the king was deciding any disputes that arose in his kingdom and any conflicts that arose between dharmashastra and practices at the time or between dharmashastra and any secular transactions.[15] When he took the judgment seat, the king was to abandon all selfishness and be neutral to all things.[16] The king would hear cases such as thefts, and would use dharma to come to a decision.[17] He was also responsible for making sure that the witnesses were honest and truthful by way of testing them.[11] If the king conducted these trials according to dharma, he would be rewarded with wealth, fame, respect, and an eternal place in heaven, among other things.[18] However, not all cases fell upon the shoulders of the king. It was also the king's duty to appoint judges that would decide cases with the same integrity as the king.[19]

Rajadharma largely portrayed the king as an administrator above all else.[21] The main purpose for the king executing punishment, or danda, was to ensure that all of his subjects were carrying out their own particular dharmas.[10] For this reason, rajadharma was often seen as the root of all dharma and was the highest goal.[22] The whole purpose of the king was to make everything and everyone prosper.[23] If they were not prospering, the king was not fulfilling his dharma.[24] He had to carry out his duties as laid down in the science of government and "not act at his sweet will."[21] Indeed, in the major writings on dharma (i.e. dharmasastra, etc.), the dharma of the king was regarded as the "capstone" of the other varnas' dharma both due to the king's goal of securing the happiness and prosperity of his people[25] as well as his ability to act as the "guarantor" of the whole social structure through the enforcement of daṇḍa.[26]

In contemporary India, an idea pervades various levels of Hindu society: the "Ramarajya", or a kind of Hindu Golden Age in which through his strict adherence to rajadharma as outline in the Hindu epics and elsewhere, Rama serves as the ideal model of the perfect Hindu king. As Derrett put it, "everyone lives at peace" because "everyone knows his place" and could easily be forced into that place if necessary.[13]

My friend's husband - who was burdened with no such instincts - sat there and watched as the three of us made several laps of the kitchen. After my last lap, as I sat down next to him, he leaned over with a conspiratorial smile, pointed in the direction of my husband, and whispered sarcastically, "Bada gharelu ladka dhoonda hai?" (Such a homely boy you've picked?)

It was a jibe to shame a man for helping out in 'womanly' tasks. And to shame me, as the woman, for letting my man indulge in such trivial pursuits. After all, it should be clear to all of us that men were put on the planet to do bigger things than clearing the table.

I gave this particular Raja Beta my best version of a fixed social smile, even as I said a little prayer in my heart for my friend who has to spend a lifetime with this domestically-challenged manchild.

Kriti and her husband are based in London. Living in another country where house help is not affordable, both of them would contribute to household chores. However, the dynamic suddenly changed the first time his parents visited them.

"One day, I was doing some office work from home, when I ran out of drinking water in my glass. I asked my husband to please get me a refill - something we do for each other all the time. My mother-in-law was horrified to see her son fetch a glass of water for his wife. She kept an eye on my glass and the next time it was empty, she raced to the kitchen to get it so I don't ask him to."

"Whenever my in-laws visit us, or we visit them, my husband seems to magically lose the ability to clear his dirty plates after eating, stack the dishwasher, make the bed in the morning when he wakes up after me, etc."

Kriti has come up with a gentle reminder she gives him now, whenever she sees the pattern repeating. It doesn't help a lot with him, but it does provide her with some much-needed levity in these times.

Sonal and her husband have similar working hours. Sonal delivered their baby six months back and has recently joined work again. Her husband's parents are staying with them to help with the baby.

"Between work, and pumping, and driving in the crazy Bangalore traffic, I am beyond exhausted by the time I get home. There have been many days when I come back and find my husband relaxing on the couch, while his mother is managing the kitchen."

"I get that her son holds a bigger space in her heart than I do. It is natural. Even my mother loves me like that. But when my mother visits us, she never says, 'Let my daughter rest' while demanding that her son-in-law help in the kitchen."

"He would chop vegetables before I came back from office, and greet me with a refreshing drink. Our domestic help would have already made the rotis. I just had to cook the veggies. Those were the days."

"His contribution at home tapered off and, pretty soon, he stopped doing anything without my nudge. The physical and mental load took a big toll on me. Getting any chore done by him became an uphill battle."

"That was when I first saw his Raja Beta avatar. The treatment he got was eye opening. My mother-in-law took over all the kitchen work herself, but would not have her son lift a finger around the house. I would regularly have arguments with mother and son as to why he can't do the dishes or dusting anymore. His mother would say, 'He has never done such work till date, I can do it on his behalf.'

"Whenever we visit our in-laws place, my husband doesn't even get up to fetch his own food from the kitchen. My mother-in-law serves him hot food in his lap, and clears the plates after he is done eating. When they visit us, my husband tries to pretend that the whole house is run by me, even though he does help out in their absence. He does it to protect the image of us as a good traditional couple that they would approve of."

My husband occasionally picks up and feeds our son in front of his parents and that is earth-shattering to them, because in their worldview, the child is 'mine'. Any parenting my husband does is something I should be grateful for.

"When we were getting married, and I had a great career, my mother-in-law would question how I would take care of their grandchild with my job. Recently, I took a break from my career after having a baby, and they ask me every day when I will find a job."

"Whenever my mother-in-law does not like something I do, she taunts me, saying, 'Hamare caste ki hoti toh kuch tameez hoti. Tune toh sirf padhai ki hai, but tujhe kisi ne sanskaar nahi diye.' (If you were of our caste, you would have had some manners. You may be highly educated but no one has taught you values.)

As Sonal puts it, "Husbands need to be more observant. When they see their parents, they default into Child Mode. They become the kid who gets to sit back and relax and have his favourite dishes served for dinner. But in the process, they fail to notice that their wife has to stay in Adult Mode. If this is happening, we need the husband to buck up and play the role of a shield between us and their parents."

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