Recently Maharastra goverment gave green signal to the proposal on legalizing Live-in relationship, which indeed is a bold step for a conservative country like India. According to the proposal, If a womam lives with a man for a "decent period" of time she will be treated as "WIFE" therefore she will be granted all the rights such alimony, child support etc. But before this proposal becomes law, it needs to get an approval from the centre and on this issue the centre has carefully decided to remain silent.
Personally, I have nothing against
Live-in relationships ( Before you jump to any conclusions let me tell you, I believe in 'marriage' and have married my husband according to hindu rites), If man or a woman wishes to enter in a live-in relationship, I don't see any problem as long as they understands what they are doing? and can handle the implications of the situation. "
Co-habitating" is a matter of personal choice and should remain so, nobody has a right to intefere in the decision of the two consenting parteners not the family or even the society. Though the question still remains why are more and more young people choosing to live-in rather then getting "married".
Couples Say:-
Until a few years ago the boy and the girl would only meet after getting engaged and in some cases only after getting married and then the period of getting to know each other would start and things follow. But now the couples want to know what is to be with the person whom they "Love" 24x7 ? How compatible they are? How comfortable they are with each others lifestlye? and much more. Some cases are of the couple who have been divorced once and dont want to go through the pains once again as getting a divorce is not easy much because of the social stigma attached to it and all the legal procedures involved . This all can be avoided just by not getting married but being husband and wife though not legally.
Family and Society say:-
Most of time the relationship is kept a secret from the family for fear of being criticized. In many cases the couples are even disowned by their families. In a country like India where love marriages are still not acceptable, Live in realtionships are morally incorrect. The generation of today wants everything according to their own choice and will not compromise. If not of their choice they are willing to accept it rather then regret it later. This independency of thougts is brought about by the finacial independence at a very young age. Atimes being a part of such relationship is also a way to show rebellion against the family and society. Which i feel is not correct , a relation based on such grounds will not last. The elderly feel that such relationship are not strong enough and this kind of "Trial Marriages" will only degrade the social moral values.
Legal Experts say:-
Though the proposed law grants a women cohabitating with a man for a "
decent period" the woman in question the rights of a wife. However the lawyers feel with the increase in financial independence of the women the toleration power has gone down(Knock - Knock are the lawyers saying women should always compromise?- If womens can go out and work, why men cannot compromise to workout a home?). Also under the increased infuence of cinema, everyone is in search of a perfect partener. And what if the person they fell in love and get married doesnot turn out to be the PERFECT one, So why take a chance and do a
"Trial marriage" to avoid making a mistake. This is like taking a safe root. The youths of today want to play safe.They don't want to waste thier time in putting the "required effort" to nurture a relationship. But in a Live in relationship, if the partener doesnot turn out to be the "Perfect one" they can always part ways and move on( Is it that easy to move on and ...How many times will you?). Is there anything such as perfect and does it really exist as it is rightly said..
"Success in marriage is much more than finding the right person; it is a matter of being the right person"
Live in relationship make sense to the youths of today and works well with their casual and westernised ways of life. But still there are issues remain unresolved for instace Whatis the "decent period"? What is the future of the childrens concieved out of such relationships? the father can provide the support but what if mother is not willing to keep the child? And what will be the social status of a child whose parents were never married? What if the couple seperate just before the "decent period" or what if the woman deserts the man(Do we have any such laws for men?).
I don't know when or whether will the society accept such relationships or not but one must not forget that the most important thing for a relationship to work is committment and complete dedication, and if you are not willing to give this, no relationship will ever work not even the "trial marriage" and if you are willing to commit and dedicate your self to the person you fell in love with then why not MARRY? (Easy Isn't?..........)
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