Aamir Khan’s Satyamev Jayate is creating revolutionary waves in the society. Its three out of seven episodes till date were concerned (sadly though) with the evils associated with weddings, love and relationships. By pointing out these particular evils, the show has instilled a sense of responsibility and confidence towards avoiding them, and even fighting them.
Pre-wedding lessons
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To begin with, it is no crime to fall in love. The Indian Penal Code does not punish people for falling in love and getting married, if they are past their legal age to do so (18 for Girls and 21 for guys). The decision to marry and stay together should be based on their mutual consent, sans any undue pressure. Only that the Hindu Marriage Act says is that the couple should not be related lineally (hailing from the same bloodline up to three generations).
If a person is allowed to choose his or her career at 18 and elect members to the Lok Sabha, he obviously owns the right to decide with whom he wants to spend his life. There should be no “intolerance to love.”
Wedding lessons
The Big, Fat Indian Wedding might be a fad everywhere but in many cases it comes at the cost of a bride’s life or her parents’ pride. Only in 10% of the cases, the couples can afford to spend millions on wedding celebrations. The rest give in to the societal expectations and irrational demands that mostly come from the groom’s family.
The dowry deaths in India are on the rise and we already know that. It is like so much about them has already been said and reported that we’ve accepted it as a norm, a characteristic of the Indian society which distinguishes it from the other cultures and countries.
It’s time to wake up to the clarion call and say no to dowry. The move has to come from both the bride and the groom. The bride should insist on being valued for her virtues and the groom should say no to being transacted as a commodity, something like – “the highest bidder wins.”
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Post-Wedding lessons
The dowry demands continue after the wedding also and are accompanied with mental torture and physical abuse which lead to domestic violence – the danger at home. Did you know that India was once a matriarchal society and patriarchy took roots when the males had to step in to protect their women? And centuries later, the protectors turn into perpetrators, beating their wife to show-off their masculinity.
For some husbands and wives, slaps and bruises become a way of life but all this has to change and change soon. The newly married couples should treat each other with respect and base their marriage on love, trust and equality.
