Customer Reviews

Families of India (Families of the World) [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I don't understand Mr. Iyer's complaint about this video from the *Families of the World* film series. My ESL students from India (both adults and kids) loved this movie and thought the entire production showed deep respect for India's culture and its people. And as with all the other videos in this series, the quality of the video's cinematography, sound, and narration (in children's voices in English) is high. The film draws you in. We all loved it.

But I'd suggest looking at clips from both children's video profiles on YouTube and deciding for yourself. Search on "Families of India (Families of the World) Rural Trailer" and "Urban Trailer." I think you'll enjoy *Families of India* as much as my students and I have.

It's easy to see why this video about two Indian kids, their families, and their lives won so many awards and remains a favorite with elementary- and middle-school-age students, home schoolers, and ESL learners who want to learn more about life in other countries.

Like the other first-rate entries in the *Families of the World* video series, *Families of India* profiles two elementary-school-age kids, a boy and a girl, who live in two different settings (usually urban and rural) in the same country. Raja and Bavika's daily lives are shown in ways that help us identify with them. The kids are shown at home, with their families and friends at work and at play, with classmates at school, and (in the India video) even visiting at a temple. Yet the engaging and accessible way the video is filmed encourages us to understand and appreciate the differences in how these kids in Gujarat State are growing up, compared with kids in the U.S.

I've enjoyed every video in the *Families of the World* series. From the excellent production values and unaffected and natural behavior of the kids and families being filmed, to the narration (in kids' voices in English), *FOTW* videos are a treat to watch and to share with kids you care about. Raja and Bavika will help you see why *Families of India* is something I show to my ESL students (many of whom have been Indian) and encourage our local library to show to kids and adult ESL learners. One of my current adult ESL students and her kids are from Gujarat state, and I'm particularly looking forward to sharing *Families of India* with them.

I previously watched Families of the USA, and was shocked that the review by Mr. Iyer was only 1 star. After reading why he arrived at his opinion, I understand. But the first family of the US was a farm family and the second from a city suburb. Neither were apparently wealthy.

I sympathize that Mr. Iyer feels his country was not properly represented. I was thinking, while watching, that his people have achieved superbly considering the number of people to be educated. Far better than we here.

I would hope our youngsters would be inspired by what the youth of India have done.

This documentary should be named as families or Rural India rather than generalize it as "Families of India". This documentary is shot in rural India and viewers should know that big cities and metros of India have some of the best schools, ranked among the top education centers of the world where education and teaching is very competitive. I feel the video does not make sense to any of these attributes of the worldclass Indian education system!