Are You Planning To Settle Down In Your Life? Then Read On
A couple of days ago I came across a news article on this portal about a recent conference held in the Middle East on pre-marital screening for women, which got my immediate attention. Even though it was about medical screening for spinsters in order to avoid problems in their married life, that event suddenly got me into thinking about another major aspect to the pre-marital screening that has not been openly discussed in our society thus far. Hence I decided to pen down my thoughts. This article is from the perspective of an Indian male. I am sure not everyone will agree with everything that I express in this article, but I am hopeful it will catch the attention of a few so they can have a healthy discussion on the subject. If not anything, I am at least hopeful that people recognise such a problem exists in our society. It is not my intention to divide society through such incendiary views; instead, it is my honest attempt, based on experiences, to hold a mirror to what’s happening in our society at large today. This issue can no longer be ignored. Whatever I am going to write here may not be applicable to everyone but it is certainly more pertinent to people living in the Indian cities. Here is my attempt.
In my humble view, the most important pre-marital screening test that needs to be carried out in our society is to identify the real intent behind the marriages that take place these days (everything else is secondary). When you are going to marry someone you have to first establish whether the person you are marrying really wants to get married or is it because that she is getting old and can no longer rely on her parents anymore as they are also getting old. Most men miss out on this crucial point and as a consequence suffer miserably later on. When it comes to marriages (especially the Catholic marriages) the Indian society currently is in a state of dangerous flux where the age-old orthodox traditions combined with the modern Western view of materialism has created a dangerous mix of Molotov cocktail, which innocuously disguises itself through the initial days of the marriage but then suddenly explodes. The fundamental reason behind this is due to the various people involved in this circus (called marriage) who had hoped for totally unrealistic expectations out of the union. Being the Indian society for what it is, there are people ranging from the bride and groom themselves all the way to the extended family members from both sides individually contributing to this mess. Nowadays, when it comes to marriages, for the girl’s side it’s more about the pomp and lavishness of the wedding itself as opposed to focusing on what lies beyond it. They somehow assume that is man’s headache to worry about those things after the wedding. I grant you, it may have been true in India 30 years ago but not anymore. Marriage is an equal union between the couple, both in rights as well as responsibilities. The society and the circumstances have evolved to an extent today that husband alone can no longer take on the full burden of the family. Get this fact inside your skull at the earliest. There is more to life than a 3-tier wedding cake, personalised hymn-sheets for the nuptials, corsage, boutonniere, page boys, flower girls, cocktail parties, or for that matter the prenuptial video shooting.
People with wisdom say lowering one’s expectations is the key to happiness in life. If you want to have a content married life then utmost attention should be paid to the cleverly disguised high expectations which some women have on their minds even before the whole wedding-spectacle begins. Marriage is not a Disney land fairy tale, with ivory castles and flying ponies. Increasingly our society is aping the Western materialistic way of thinking. Just look at the extravagance of our weddings these days and the efforts that go into it. If only people had put in so much efforts to what happens after the wedding, this world would have been a blissful place. But the West has heavily influenced these clueless people to develop a sense of entitlement within them to think that others (especially their husbands) owe them a living while they themselves take no responsibility for their actions or failures due to unpreparedness. Some of them are under the assumption that what they earn after marriage is their pocket money whereas the family expenses fall under the jurisdiction of the husband. Let me be honest here, the fault squarely lies with their parents. These self-righteous parents, without giving it a second thought, bring up their children in such an irresponsible manner these days that the child does not really know what the practical life means. Their children are least prepared for a life of their own when they grow up. But the parents think they deserve an award from the society thinking that since they have provided everything their children have asked for, they are the best parents in the world. Nothing could be further from the truth.
When these same children eventually grow up, their parents think they have “done their duty” (in reality they have only spoiled them by not preparing them for the real world) and then start their venture to find a scapegoat to tie to their daughter’s neck. That daughter (now grown up – but only in flesh) once getting married, expects similar ivory tower treatment from her husband. She thinks that is what she deserves and it’s her husband’s job to provide it. If he tries to tow her into the line (by talking common sense), then with the help of her ‘liberal’ relatives and friends begins to evaluate her ‘options’ (read legal weapons). In India, the laws are so biased towards women that even a mere allegation of torture (while providing not a shred of evidence) is enough to get the husband arrested without bail. Even if there was no substance to the case it takes years to clear one’s name. But by the end of it when the case has been quashed by the court, there is no provision under the law to hold the accuser to account for abusing the system. There is no accountability in the system nor in the society.That is the reason the laws are abused in our country.
In the Western society, both men and women are equal when it comes to the law, so there is no room for such exploitation. If people don’t get along then (most of the times) they just go through the quick legal process and go their separate ways. But the Indian society is a special basket case if you ask me. The girls who have been brought up in the most feckless manner, after getting married, try to get the best of both worlds – on one hand, they want the freedom and choice that comes readily available in the Western society but at the same time, when things don’t go as per their 5-star expectation in marriage, they take resort in the broken legal system in India to abuse it to no end. They pay no special attention towards their career before marriage, instead spend all their time and money on enjoyment – shopping malls, Bollywood, holidays and what not. But then when the same comforts become hard to come by after the marriage, their husbands suddenly become their punching bag. He turns into everyone’s enemy. He becomes the root cause of their unhappiness. The fundamental problem here (i.e. in Indian society) is that most parents bring up their daughters with the mindset that it is husband’s job to provide everything after the marriage. That’s where the conflicts arise. As a consequence, those wives do not want to take responsibilities for their own failures and weaknesses. This is the reason marriages (especially in big cities) are breaking down.
There is another real reason why this happens time and again in our society. It’s because of the way the marriages happen. I must agree the things are improving now (albeit slowly) but most of the times the marriage alliances happen in the least conducive way possible. There is no practical way you can fully understand the person you are marrying. To begin with, the boy is settled in a distant place due to his job and hardly finds enough time to dedicate to finding the right partner. Due to your culture (and religion) you are consciously/subconsciously are somehow forced to find a life partner from your own community. So you strive hard to find someone, who, more often than not, happens to dwell in a distant place, perhaps in another state or even another country. You hardly get any time and opportunity between your job to dedicate towards this. You come across someone who you think could be your potential life partner. And this is where the problem begins.
You meet them once and for some reason you are not so sure about it in the first meeting. You have doubts inside your head that you want to clarify before you go to the next level. There are some obvious good qualities that you have found in that woman but you are still concerned about what’s not so visible. Indian society still enforces orthodoxy when it comes to marriage alliances, therefore the second time you try to meet that same person to find out more, they presumptuously assume you have already liked the girl. If you meet her for the second time and then don’t follow it through, then you will be condemned as a deserter. Secondly, even if you went ahead with the proposal, there is hardly anything that really comes to the surface (i.e. flaws) until much later because if you ask any involved questions in the beginning (to clarify your doubts) then you are looked at as being someone uncouth and arrogant. There is no practical way in our society to fully understand the person you are marrying (co-habitation is a taboo!). The funny thing is you only get one chance to go through all this and you have to get it right and count on your stars to assure you of that elusive happiness. If this venture fails (as in many cases it does!) then the same society looks at you as a failure.
Enough of the rant. Let me come to the summary. I don’t normally criticise anything without providing possible solutions/suggestions. And these suggestions are mostly applicable to men who have settled down in their career and are about to venture into finding their life partner. There are a few things they need to watch out for before they enter into this phase of life called ‘getting married’. You never get training on this subject anywhere and as I said before you get only one chance.You botch it and it’s over for you. That’s why this is really important. To begin with, you should know how to separate the wheat from the chaff. It can be a difficult thing to do but sooner you do it, and more boldly you do it, fewer worries for you later. Here is a list of things to watch out for during that process:
- First of all look at the girl’s parents. Talk to other people and try to find out as much as possible about them, especially how those parents had brought up their children, their values in life etc. Pay attention to how much efforts and commitment they would have expended (not just money) to their children’s upbringing/education. In most cases, the apple does not fall far from the tree. Verify how they have trained their children to stand on their own feet. Once you analyse these things a picture begins to emerge and you will know whether you are in the right place.
- Nothing wrong with feminism which is rampant these days and women fight hard for equal rights, but you have to make sure that your fiancée also understands that the responsibility towards your eventual family also is equal between partners; it is not just husband’s alone. Marriage cannot be an à la carte menu meant only for the woman. This wily way thinking of banking on to the old patriarchal Indian system when it comes to family responsibility (by dumping everything on husband’s shoulders) while taking shelter under the modern Western philosophy of equality when it comes to personal rights (equality, freedom, choice, enjoyment, entitlement etc.) is a real trap for Indian men. Pay special attention here.
- Watch out for those special types whose whole life revolves around watching Bollywood, soap operas, over-obsession with social media, compulsive mall shopping, and frequent holidays. These are the same people who most likely would have attended the college just for ‘fun’, not to become something in life. Stay clear of those.
- Do not fall for the looks. If beauty and physical pleasure are what you are after, then marriage is not the only option. Go on a Europe trip instead. Trust me it will be a much cheaper option than what you can lose from a failed marriage. Beauty lasts only for a couple of weeks after the wedding. After that, it’s totally inconsequential to your marriage. In fact, it becomes a burden on you. Watch out for this!!!!!
- During the process of forging the marriage alliance, do not fall for emotional traps. Women are good at feigning tears which can melt your heart and it is at this stage you end up taking irrational and mostly wrong decisions. If something is not right, bite the bullet and walk away. I know it’s hard but it’s for your own good. Stay away from the physical stuff until much later.
- If your fiancée is overly obsessed with her ‘Big Day’, be extremely alarmed. I cannot emphasise this enough here. The tell-tale signs are that such kinds of women go to extreme lengths to make the day ‘special’, even if it costs a lot of borrowed money. What they really have in mind is to outdo the other wedding they had recently witnessed. If this is the case then convince yourself big danger lays ahead. You are better off breaking the engagement even if it causes short-term turmoil in your family and personal life.
- Pay special attention to whether the person you are intending to marry (and her family) has thirst for knowledge; make sure she has intellectual curiosity, personal integrity and concerns about worldly matters. The woman you marry may have a body of a 25-year-old but if she has a mind of a sulking teenager then you might as well get yourself a pet.
- Always try to find out whether your fiancée really wants to marry you, or is she doing it because she could not find a ‘better’ one. Is she marrying you because of who you are or is it because of your money and status? Most of the marriages take place out of desperation. Don’t fall into that trap. There is nothing big to lose in waiting for a few more years to get married. If the person you married to did not really like you (to begin with) then that marriage is doomed to fail. You would have struggled really hard in your life to become what you are today. Therefore don’t ruin it all by just making this one fundamental mistake.
- Men should always remember, when you decide to get married (in India), as far as the laws are concerned, the odds are against you. If your marriage works out as planned consider yourself lucky. But if it fails, then the woman has all the legal advantages no matter how right or wrong either of you is. Even if she does not know all the laws in India, her lawyer will kindly explain it to her as to how to play the game. Pay special attention to this aspect. Even if there is not a single evidence of wrongdoing against you, you can still end up destitute and penniless. Play your cards wisely. Increasing number of women in India has started using this legal weapon to get what they want if they did not get it through normal course. Especially do your research on IPC section 498A (Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty: Proposed Section 84 of The Bharariya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023). You have nothing in your favour.
- Lastly, there is no compulsion that you should get married. If you don’t want to die alone, then marriage is not the only option. Think of the alternatives. Until then enjoy your life while doing good to others. Perhaps you can build an orphanage for the poor. I am sure you will be looked after well by someone during your old age for your kindness towards humanity. Always remember, you arrive alone, and you depart alone. In between, you have to be a part of little circus called life. Play it wisely.
By the way I am not painting a broad brush here to point finger at every woman in India but an increasing number of women in India lately (especially those from the affluent background, brought up in the cities in a feckless manner, who go pubbing and clubbing every weekend) have learnt the tricks of the trade called marriage. Pay special attention. And for heaven’s sake do not fall for all-fur-coat-and-no-knickers types.
PS. The views expressed in this article are my own. This website has only provided me with a platform to share them. I also hereby expressly authorise anyone to publish this article anywhere they wish.
Submitted by Nitin P
This article has been contributed by NITIN P, a leading Indian Men’s Rights Activist from Middle-East.
Have something worthwhile to share with others in Men’s Rights Sphere, contact the maker of this website using contact me page.
18 Comments
Very nicely written article. The author has put all his efforts in penning down his experience. However I feel finding a good female partner(wife) is very tough & most potential brides have joined the bandwagon of greedy selfish women. God save Indian society.
Totally relatable. Very well written except that last point. Our family is a victim of daughter in law grown up in a rural area. And our city grownup female friends are helping us like anything. From then I intensely hate rural women. I feel like they are after only for money and city life, and do not even care about values.
Very well written article, many men would have been saved of misery if they would have read this before getting married. Most of the people in India are not aware of laws like 498a and they marry just thinking that all will be well after marriage and fail to consider selfish motives and behaviour of girl and girl’s family.
May be another detailed article on think about 498a before getting married will be a valur add.
Excellent article, actually need of the hour is to integrate pre marriage psychological counselling, personality matching, sexual compatibility, life goals and thought process matching with the actual process of marriage.
India is indeed at a very dangerous flux situation wherein we desperately want to cling on to our cultural roots but also want the financial and sexual freedom that comes with Western ideas and culture.
The gender biased laws simply add fuel to the fire which is already burning down the society…
I know you are writing this in view of genuine men. But keep in mind there are men who get married with ulterior motives such as wife brings status and money. They want the best of both worlds a working wife that brings money and same time perform all the activities his housewife mom used to perform. Why not make your article that services both gender. Glimpse at my case: I’m an NRI woman studied and worked .. an non NRI Indian guy comes along through a matrimony .. mesmerizes saying all will be well .. I moved to India to settle down .. then tells me go back and keep working I’ll shuttle back and forth .. then one day realized that he is avtually in Bangkok and not in India.. has my add on credit card that he left and right in US. Now unable to take it I’m asking for divorce without any compensation.. he sends messages to my entire family saying horrible uncomprehendable stuff completely defaming me and now refusing me to give divorce. I don’t have any proofs of his indirect harassment for money.. he says he is ready to go sit in jail.. and all that lawyers tell me is you will be stuck in this next 2-3 years if he refuses to give divorce. What do I do ?
You can by all means write an article about your hellish experience. I am sure the admin of this portal will be happy to publish it. From what you have written, your case deserves a good hearing. I, for one, most certainly would like to read it.
It almost sounds more like a case of cheating/fraud than marital discord in your instance.
Normally those who proclaim they are ready to sit in the jail are the ones who are most afraid of it. He is only trying to preempt your next step. It’s a mind game. All you need to do is to find a seasoned lawyer. Time and patience is something you need in abundance of while dealing with the Indian judiciary. Indian courts are never there for genuine victims. They exist only for those who want to abuse it.
Lastly, please do not think that I wrote this article because I am against women in general. I have a 3 year old daughter, so more than my own interests it’s my daughter that is my priority for the rest of my life. In fact I worship my elder sister, my late mother and my late grand mother. This article was only about a section of modern women in India who have lost the plot when it comes to marriage and family. This was to caution those who want to get married – to watch out for the potential pitfalls. But at the end of the day I am all for fairness, and the question of gender does not arise.
Good luck.
There are thousands of articles that services the “weaker” sex
Also there are around 50 Gender Biased Laws guarding abla nari
Let there be some article for d forgotten gender who commit more than Twice Suicides due to Legal Terrorism
I don’t agree with last point 10. It’s saying like, there is a possibility of bed bugs in the house so lets not buy the house. Lol.
Bad analogy. A practical analogy here is to observe the symptoms to predict the disease.
Every male/women is not cheater.in my case my Mil cheated me with mental retarded women.now demanding 40laksh putting false cases.she unhealthy and mental retardation..
I agree with all the points but writer is missing one important fact that Indian girls have a lot on stake than men because of the culture. No matter how much man is earning. Imagine a divorced woman with two kids. Who will marry her again? Life is not easy for women especially after kids. Its my experience! My ex-wife, with kids, Very hard to find a man. Versus me- uff even unmarried virgins are in line because of $ and body. Lol.
I respectfully disagree that women have the bad end of the deal after divorce since a woman who gets to keep the children and gets a huge maintenance and alimony already has companionship for most of her future years even if she doesn’t marry, whereas a man even though having a higher probability of getting married again is still a man and is equally at risk again to be saddled with fake cases in his next marriage
Completely agreed
Sadly we have Manginas in abundance here & 3rd Wave of feminism has done d damage
I agree with all the points mentioned in the article. If I hadn’t experienced the torture of marriage before I would have considered the article much exaggerated but it is not. Had I read it before, had I been advised before, I wouldn’t have suffered.
Every man who wishes to get married must read it and actually do what it says.
Thank you.
Very nice article. Except for the rural areas. Rural women are an equal menace than urban women. In fact they pose a bigger threat because of the fact that they can easily pose helplessness than when it comes to survival issues. I would even go to the extent of saying that marriage is not a solution anymore to the man’s social needs. Half of the time, men are pushed into marriage because of his parents who do his upbringing in such a way that makes him think of incompleteness if he is not married. This is, however, not true of girls. They are taught to be equal to men, and they, on the contrary, think themselves as more powerful sex after marriage. Before marriage or just prior to marriage, they trick men into thinking that they are just the ideal partner. But just after few months, things start to change very rapidly.
The article is very lengthy and punch is missing. Focus has been shifted. The root cause of present situation has been placed with girls’ parents, but this is good only to a small extent. Today even parents are helpless and have to cower down before their daughters since girls have started showing their liking to live in PG in the garb of easy accessibility to their place of study and/or office by taking whatever job they can find. (Parents easily give in to their daughter’s demand to live in PG since the daughter has already made up her mind and if they persist in their resistance then daughter will break ties with them shift to PG. Then to supplement their salary, girls start looking for other sources of income, which ranges from having more than one boyfriend and sometimes doling out special favours to their bosses and in some cases even stretch as far as becoming keep of some rich old man, or at least doing it occasionally. The final destination is suicide after few years due to depression, or death due to drug abuse, in some cases even accidental death due to negligent road crossing; if parents are lucky then none of these may happen, but they are sure to be burdened with a mentally sick and even medically ill daughter for life thus making their not only their own old age miserable but also making it torturous to expend their last days of stay in the mortal shell. The long and short of it is that parents do not have much say.) The real reason behind this act is only to have fun without parents’ interference. When this fun reaches a saturation or girls start becoming addict to so called better style of living, then they start listening to their parents’ idea of getting married, only to refinance their hitherto large but now small purse. Another reason is, as rightly stated, to find a safe haven due to ageing. But the biggest reason I have seen is to buy a licence of total freedom for not only doing anything but also freedom from all kinds of responsibilities. What is ironical is that they seek freedom from responsibilities not only towards family but also towards their own self and even to the society as a citizen. The chief and sole reason for having given birth to this mindset is the legal scenario which ensures that a woman will be taken care of by some man, initially parents, then husband, if not husband or no husband then even boyfriend(s), son. If all else fails then also a girl does not have to worry, since river supplying men to finance her is designed not to dry. She can anytime slap any Tom Dick and Harry with rape, sexual assault, stalking, or at least staring. Such legal provisions end up turning the beneficiaries into either a thief or a beggar. The solution suggested to scan/screen the prospective bride is unworkable. This is like looking for the key not where it has been lost but where the light is. Anyone and everyone knows what are the right answers to prying questions on such occasions. It is impossible for the questioner to differentiate a right answer from an honest one. Laws have ensured caretakers for women. Anyone bestowed something as a matter of right becomes a vagrant and irresponsible and a burden on the civic society. Very sadly, such women have started feeling their own kids as a burden but keep the children only to fleece money since a woman with child can get sympathy easily as against a childless woman. The article has very subtly hinted at co-habitation but ironically the young males of Indian society still consider it a moral sin, being still deeply rooted in our traditional culture and ethos and also out of sensitivity towards their parents. The problem is well known, cause(s) will differ with each individual’s opinion, solution requires debate.
Please typeface your response and make it more palatable to the reader…. At the moment you, ironically, are as much guilty as the accusation you have made against the author through your first sentence.