Temple on the Hill

Clip 2: Christianity and intermarriage

Taken from the documentary Temple on the Hill (1997)

Original title classification not known – this clip chosen to be PG

Curator’s clip description

An Indian man who has married an Australian woman and become a Christian visits his mother and father at home with his wife. They all talk frankly about his choice.

Curator’s notes

A revealing, unselfconscious look at the tensions caused by the son’s choice, but also at the desire of all parties to get along. His mother is clearly still coming to terms with the whole thing.

Damien Parer, curator

Teachers’ notes

provided by The Le@rning Federation

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This clip shows interviews with the Grewal family, including the eldest son Brian, his father Naseeb and his mother Herbhajan. Brian explains why he converted to Christianity from Sikhism, and how he came to meet his Anglo-Australian wife. Naseeb expresses his disappointment over Brian’s decision to become a Christian. He talks about visiting the temple when Brian was a young boy, and Brian being able to read, write and sing hymns in Punjabi. Herbhajan expresses her disappointment about Brian’s marriage, and later reveals that she wants her youngest son, Steven, who is still living at home, to marry an Indian girl. Herbhajan is interviewed in her native language, and English subtitles are used to convey her responses.

Educational value points

The clip illuminates the emphasis placed on religion within the Indian community. India comprises approximately 80 per cent Hindus and 13.5 per cent Muslims (the third-largest Islamic population in the world); the remainder adheres to a number of other religions, with Sikhs comprising approximately 2 per cent of the overall population.

There is a large Sikh community living in Australia whose members trace their origins to the Punjab region of India. The Gurdwara mentioned in the clip by Brian is the Sikh temple where Sikh scriptures are kept. The word ‘gurdwara’ means ‘the doorway to God’.

The cultural conflicts that some second-generation Australians experience are highlighted in the clip. Many second-generation Australians such as Brian and Steven often have to reconcile the values of their family with the sometimes conflicting values of their friends, neighbours and work colleagues.

The clip portrays the expectations of a traditional Indian family in regards to marriage. Within some Indian families there is an expectation that the children will marry Indians from the same community and religious faith. Many Indian marriages are arranged to achieve this; however, in both Australia and India, younger Indians are increasingly choosing their own partners as a result of their own changing cultural values.

Members of the Grewal family are bilingual, speaking both Punjabi and English. This reflects the linguistic diversity of Indian society, both in India and abroad. The Indian Constitution recognises 23 languages, but Hindi is the official language. English is recognised as one of the official languages and most educated Indian people speak English in addition to their native language, particularly those living in Australia and other English-speaking countries. Punjabi is widely spoken in most parts of northern India and there are large Punjabi communities in Melbourne, Sydney and in Woolgoolga in northern New South Wales.