Of Marriages and Parties

Dear One,

"I am getting married." That wasn't me, but a dear friend who got married yesterday. That was his last words of bachelorhood. It was hard to guess if it was a jubilant proclamation or a word of caution for the future grooms and brides to be. Jokes apart he seemed very happy indeed on the elaborate stage with his beautiful wife. They looked heavenly in their shimmering attires. As they say marriages are made in heaven and they were made truly for each other.

Coming back to the point of contention. Is marriage meant to be a jubilant proclamation of 'I Do' or a wise word of caution to fellow humans. Every religion says, marriage is holy and a sacred partnership intended to last for a lifetime. But do they really do?

That's a question most of our teens are vehemently asking. Seeing many parents undergo the pressures of keeping their marriages alive, many are getting cynical of this once sacred institution. At this rate, legal marriages will be defunct in some years hereon. One study says, 2 out of 5 marriages in Mumbai ultimately ends in divorce. However, a consoling fact is India has the lowest divorce rate (1.1%...I'm not kidding) when compared to countries like the US of A and Sweden who have 54.9% divorce rates. Sociologists have blamed this alarming rise on the hyper-urban lifestyle, the most common reason being lack of quality time.

With both the spouses working to make ends meet or simply put in pursuit of a bigger and better lifestyle forego the simple pleasures of companionship. They spend more hours in their respective offices than in their cozy homes together. Brother Cupid also plays its part well. Enter extra-marital affairs. Now I am not a puritan to pass judgements on people's lives or choices, however we are solely responsible for the holy or unholy mess we have gotten into.

So, what's the secret of a happy marriage? Well, all those who knew the secret are happily dead and gone; the rest are plainly lying. So, it is for us to scratch our heads eternally to find this evasive secret. Go on, make a choice. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Good Luck!