Everything Over Love...

Explore the reality of 'love over everything' with Subhashree Sathe.

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We are so used to hearing love over everything , that the title sounds wrong , doesn’t it? But reality is always hard, unexpected and unusual isn’t it? Around the globe maybe only two people need to like and love each other to marry each other but in India at least the process is a bit different and long. For two people to marry each other in India both of their families liking each other, their zodiac signs matching, their religions matching and their castes matching is important, whether both of them love each other is not really important. Also by two people I mean only a boy and girl, because Amy other combination of people marrying each other is illegal in India.

Let us come to the religion part first. In India people of two different religions marrying each other is not legally but socially unacceptable. Every other day the newspaper reads that a boy was beaten by people of a certain community for marrying someone of the other community or the other way round. When I am talking about religion I am talking about a rather larger community but in Hindus primarily one cannot even cross boundaries of caste to marry someone. A higher caste person marrying a lower caste person is no less than a crime, for which punishments seen range from murders to cruel beating

The concept of love marriage is rather now and not completely accepted by Indians as yet. However arranged marriages, as a concept are deeply rooted in India’s culture. The primary reasons of acceptance being that the marriage takes place between families of the same religion, caste and not to miss economic class. To expire concept of arranged marriage, it is when your parents suggests you or maybe even force you to marry the person of their choice. The concept has evolved over years changing from force of marrying that person to suggestion of marrying that person, which personally I am not against.

The sad part about the this part of India’s culture is the unacceptance of difference. Why should people, mainly boys be punished of loving someone, why should they be facing effects of something which was not completely voluntary? India is known globally for its diversity, but it will only be a boom for India when we start celebrating this difference. After 72 years of Independence still of we can’t prefer the most beautiful feeling of love and give it priority over everything, we are maybe politically independent, but socially? Just give it thought guys!

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Written By Subhshree Sathe