Life and Conditions of the People of Hindustan (1200–1550 A.D.) c7.s1.37

c7.s1.37

3. *The Pardah and Social Intercourse between the Sexes.*—We will refer now to the institution of *Pardah* in Hindustan and try to explain its development. The term '*Parda*' means a curtain or something to screen off; popularly, it applies to the 'veil'. When applied to a woman, the term signifies her seclusion in a separate building or in a segregated apartment or part of the building, otherwise called the *Haram*. The term *haram*, as we pointed out earlier, apart from being applied to the place of residence, also signifies the totality of the female inmates who are thus excluded from the view of the public. A girl begins to observe this seclusion when she approaches the age of puberty, or slightly, earlier, and she adheres to the customs throughout the prime of her life, until she is past the age of child-bearing. When she grows old, she need not continue this seclusion, but by that time, an age-long observance of this practice makes it more comfortable for her to live in the familiar surroundings of the *haram* than go out in public. It should be noted that the term *Haram*, during our period, includes the female slaves, the eunuchs and other attendants who were charged with the service of supervision of the female quarters.