The Hindoos as They Are A Description of the Manners, Customs and the Inner Life of Hindoo Society in Bengal by Sivachandra Vasu — Summary & Review

This detailed account offers an intimate look at Hindu society in Bengal, focusing on family life, social customs, religious observances, and the tensions between tradition and emerging modern influences. The joint family system dominates domestic life, with the Karta (male head) overseeing finances and spiritual matters, while the Ghinni (female head) manages household provisions, purity, and hospitality. Women, especially married ones, live under strict seclusion and etiquette, rarely leaving the household without permission and forbidden from speaking to their husbands in the presence of elders. Despite their confinement, Hindu women are lively and devoted, meticulously maintaining cleanliness and engaging in daily worship led by hereditary priests.

Marriage is a central social institution, marked by elaborate rituals and ceremonies. Girls are initiated early into religious vows (Bratas) to secure a good husband, reflecting deep-rooted superstition and social pressures. Match-makers negotiate marriages with attention to caste and family status, and wedding festivities involve extensive feasting, ornament appraisal, and symbolic acts like tying hands with garlands. The bride initially lives with her parents before moving to her husband's home after puberty rites, where she is taught submission and dependence. Polygamy, especially under the Koolin system, is common but leads to rivalry and domestic misery among wives.

Religious festivals such as Doorga Poojah and Kali Poojah are major social events blending devotion, family reunions, and economic activity. While these festivals foster community and trade, they also reveal social contradictions: widows are excluded from participation, and some celebrations degenerate into immoral behavior and excess. The Kali Poojah, in particular, features animal sacrifices and bacchanalian revelry, with priests often depicted as indulgent and quarrelsome.

Education and social reform emerge as themes amid these traditions. English education introduces new ideas, challenging orthodox beliefs and caste restrictions, though progress is uneven. Female education is slowly improving, supported by missionary and government efforts, yet women remain largely marginalized in religious and social spheres. The caste system enforces rigid social divisions, though it shows signs of weakening under modern influences.

The book also addresses the grim realities of widowhood and death rituals. Widows endure lifelong austerity, social ostracism, and strict dietary and dress codes, with remarriage prohibited. The practice of Suttee—the immolation of widows on their husbands' funeral pyres—is recounted with personal eyewitness detail, highlighting both religious conviction and social tragedy. Reformers like Rammohun Roy fought to abolish such practices, marking early efforts toward social change.

Throughout, the narrative balances detailed description with critical commentary, lamenting social evils like superstition, polygamy, and moral corruption among priests, while acknowledging the devotion and patience of Hindu women. The Bengalee Baboo, a figure caught between traditional Indian identity and Westernized habits, embodies the cultural tensions of the era. The text invites readers to understand the complexity of Hindu society in Bengal, its rich rituals and festivals, and the challenges faced by individuals navigating a world of strict social hierarchies and emerging modernity.