MARRIAGE BITES

What is a marriage (in today’s world)? Is it an institution of supreme sanctity or is it a prison for life sentence? Is it an arrangement to bring order in civilized society or is it an instrument to wreck human psyche? Is there any seriousness left in maintaining the sanctity of marriage or has it become a piece of joke. For me, marriage has been an immense learning experience. It has been a window to look into the mind of a woman. Its almost 2 years of my enlightenment and let me tell you, I’m still getting surprises. Before I took the plunge, I had believed a woman to be an embodiment of sacrifice, selflessness and caretaker of family (don’t be surprised if they are exactly the opposite). I was also fed by media that women were tormented, victims of domestic violence and sufferers at the hands of some male chauvinists (don’t be surprised if exactly the opposite is happening to you). It took me not more than one month of my marriage, when I found myself to be a victim of severe form of verbal abuse at the hands of my wife, to realize how wrong I was. To cut my story short, I have been struggling to bring some order in my marital life but have failed miserably and am left with no option but to severe this relationship.

Viola! another pearl of wisdom for me. I find myself staring at some alphanumeric number IPC 498 A. IPC 498 A is a section under Indian Penal Code that deals with cruelty and dowry related harassments. It is a non-bailable, non compoundable and a cognizant offence. I searched through all my marriage references, bank statements, contacted my parents etc….. when the hell did I take or even demand dowry ??? A little search in the internet cleared the haze surrounding me. IPC 498 A is one of most misused, abused and manhandled law in India. It is blatantly biased towards wives/daughters-in-law and is mostly used as an instrument for blackmail, harassment and settlement of personal score. For, unlike any other law, the accused is guilty until proven innocent and can be arrested without any investigation. (Please see, the accused can be anyone, husband, husband’s relatives, friends or any stranger on the road). There are more than 50,000 IPC 498 A cases till last year and given by the statistics of 2% conviction rate, it is very much evident that most of the cases are false. The reality finally dawned on me. Being caught in a bad marriage in India, is not my destiny, but a criminal offence and am faced with indiscriminate choices.

Should I serve the life sentence of marriage or should I go through the rigmarole of 498 A trial?

Should I psychologically wreck myself in marriage or in the fight for justice (498 A)?

This is what marriage was meant to be????… A PIECE OF JOKE in the hands of unscrupulous women.

12:43 PM - Monday, October 10, 2005 - comments {4} - post comment