Yesterday while talking to a friend over lunch we bumped on the topic of Indian social norms, culture and traditions and now being a resident of Europe since almost 4 years I am unable to understand it. There are some questions which I am unable to answer about the so called "social norms, culture and traditions".
Why arranged marriages are STILL considered better than love marriages?
I know Indian society is changing its outlook on this topic but from what I hear and experience, its a long long way to go to disregard my question. So I am still trying to figure out the answer of this question. Are there less divorces in arranged marriages? or the couples remain happier? or all this is just to keep the society, family n friends happy and satisfied?
Until I was in India I never thought of all this because firstly, I was not matured enough for this and secondly and most importantly, all this was very common for me. But now after this much of exposure I don't understand why an individual is not left to do whatever he/she wants to do with his/her life ! Be it good or bad, the individual learns from it and that is how it should be, isn't it?! The probability of choosing a wrong partner by an individual is same as that of parents.
Why two people in love should marry and not live-together instead?
Isn't it the same thing except that the poor couple still have the money they would have spent in their "wedding". May be the society (made of people) gets angry and reacts because they were kept away from there chance of eating, drinking, dancing and showing-off for free.
I know some really happy unmarried couples here who don't plan get married in near future. Some of them are even raising kids happily and peacefully. Will you have more respect for these relationships that are existing solely based on love and respect and bringing harmony in one's life or for those relationships that are enforced by the society and might not have the same/any love and respect.
Talking about marriages in India, I have another question.. Why marriages are set as point of no return?
Humans are continuously making mistakes in their day to day life and correcting them. Then why there is no chance of correction in such an important aspect of life?!
Why a divorcee (especially woman) is looked down and disregarded in the society? Come on !! the person is just trying to be happy by correcting his/her/ family's mistake and living peacefully..
I don't know why people here in Europe are so cool about all this compared to people in India.. And I can not buy the reason of being born and brought up in different societies. We people make the society each one of us is the part of the society, then why people here and people there are so mentally different? I think Indian society or I should say Indians need to grow up and change their prospective towards such issues to make it a better place to live and survive for ourselves.
I know me sitting here far away from the place and writing about all these issues is of no use but I have no other way to blurt out my frustration of being a part of that society. However, I am doing my part by trying to explain all this to my family and friends so that atleast a part of that society thinks differently.
