Last month a new law came into existence that gave the right of maintenance to a live in partner.This implied that a women who lives with a man without legal marriage would be entitled to maintenance in case the man leaves her, same as a wife is.I watched a discussion on the topic on a channel that invited a supreme court lawyer, a clinical psychologist and a social geographer ( all women). While the clinical psychologist was concentrating on the misuse of such law by females to harass men and that the more needy would not get benefitted, the lawyer and the social geographer were more convinced that people would be more intrested in getting married now as this law would prevent them from taking live-in relation casually.
The thing that live-in relationships are getting popular was explained by the fact that the present generation is getting 'committment phobic' and may be some clinical condition may soon be coined to define the same as it is getting common. The educated men and women tend to delay marriage definitely for carreer reasons. To be free from emotional demands might be so very welcome . May be its more about choosing the better emotions , lesser hassels and no pain. It is amazing to live in a society where matrimonials are still classified according to caste and laws are passed regarding live-in relations. But it doesn't seem so weird as we still walk on roads where we can see rickshaws and the latest brand of cars, burka clad women and young gals sporting low waist jeans , road side thelas in front of the mall. The charming coexistence simplified chaos. So I was talking about live- in relationships. I would call it wanting to become a mother without labour pains ( well as the joke goes people talk their work).
The law being misused was an issue in the discussion and the amusing counter point was that why are indian women thought to have such criminal minds and to be blood suckers. The law is needed to protect women and the for the fear that it might be misused and not reach the ones who need it doesnt mean the laws should not be made.
It is a personal choice what kind of relatioship one has to be in. The circumstances and perceptions differ. But there are so many times out of certain emotional perceptions one comes into a relationship. So many times the emotions may not be similar and the male counterpart may be casual about the whole thing. In such circumstances such a law could come to rescue and besides that it gives a kind of legality to a newer form of human relationship. Well modernization and individualism has taken us from a world of joint families to nuclear families and now live in relatioships. The world is changing . But i dont think the emotions we try to stay away from , we can actually do without them. Love is so sought after. But never comes hassel free..... and when one decides to have a family things are not happily everafter. I can't do without my family. I wonder what the world without actual families would be like.
As women are concerned. I have high doubts about their being modern. They may be in a new avtaar but intrisically things are pretty old fashioned. The National Council of Women has introduced this law . I feel it was an intelligent way of telling men that they rather marry and get into relatioship that has a social and parental sanction.
well well, another infantile decision by the supreme court. i gues soon lawyers will find an arrangement like the pre nuptial agreement. let teh society mature itself instead of binding it with rules
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