Monday, May 9, 2011

Talaak Talaak Talaak

The "D" word is fast becoming the mantra of the gen next.  Divorcing each other at the drop of a hat and I don't mean in the fast forward life of the metros but also in the small more conservative towns like Akola and Yavatmal. It was not so much in the recent past that divorce was something that happened to someone who your friends elder brother aunt's knew but now it is people u know on a regular basis. People who you know are pretty amiable and likable otherwise.

Well what got me into this rant is the very painful divorce my friend is going through. He married in October and divorced in April. In this duration he and his wife actually stayed together for about a month and a half. With his wife finishing her graduation and he getting posted to a new town they hardly spent time together. It has not transformed into a he said she said mud slinging match. Now both parties maybe at fault here but are 45 days enough for you to decide whether this person is so bad you could not spend your life with him.

Heck we give more time to our maid servants for them to learn the going ons in our house; Most companies give more time to their employees as probation period. My take on this is that the level of tolerance in most of humankind is at an all time low. She does not put the lid on the sugar after she makes tea TALAAK... He does not want to relocate to a bigger town to pursue HER dreams TALAAK... They don't like the shade of each other eyes TALAAK.

Now thats not to say that people don't genuinely have problems. There are abusive relationships which must end but those even now are still exceptions rather than the rule. Divorce nowadays are really of mundane things which with proper counseling can be sorted out. But counseling is still like a cuss word in India. More in the lines of only mad people see shrinks. So people divorce.

My first thought regrettably when I hear of such an event is the loss both parties had to incur during the wedding. The expensive reception, the three hundred and thirty six thousand photos everyone clicked with the tired looking bride and groom and also the gifts they got. There should be a diktat that if the marriage does not last atleast a year everyone gets their gifts back.

Jokes aside through experience I learned that love or arranged the first year of marriage is the most troublesome. Lots of hope, expectations and misunderstandings. Insecurity in the relations as well as other familial aspirations are a cause of friction. Like churning butter with a lot of froth before and then solid creamy butter. I guess people don't have the urge to wait for the cream anymore. They give up at the froth. Increasingly nuclear families with no one to play referee causes more problems. So whats the solution. Well frankly I don't know. Maybe pre marital counseling or pre divorce counseling may help too but majorly if every person getting married realizes that their partner will not be a xerox copy of their personalities then maybe they will learn to be more forgiving and accepting.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

New Year.... New Post....New Intentions

Another decade passed... Year 2000 seems just yesterday yet so far away. I was getting ready to be married, both my kids were not even a passing thought. Sitting here I cannot imagine how much the last 10 years have altered my life. There is no other way I could imagine my life though. No other path I wish my life had undertaken. No other destination my life would be heading.

Well enough of nostalgia and before my whole post ends up sounding like a Hallmark commercial let me go on. With the new year came new resolutions.... UGH I hate that word. New Years Resolutions are when we get to act like politicians. We make empty promises that we end up breaking months later. A new year resolution for me would be about as effective as giving a porcupine a balloon. If I had kept all those resolutions over the past decade..I would be rich, thin, fit, healthy, smarter and organized; but life is good just the way it is : ) But 2011 is the year I definitely intend to have some me moments. Me moments are times when I do things exclusively for moi. This blog is one such thing. Many people have taken the time to email me about restarting the blog and I really thank them for making me feel wanted. BUT I'm a multi-tasking procrastinator... I can put many things off at once! But no more. I will posting regularly, again not everyday but often hopefully once a week.

Rule Bender has become more of a handful but conversely Straight Line has become even more responsible. But more on this later. Signing off reminding you that today is the oldest you've ever been. yet the youngest you'll ever be, so enjoy this day while it lasts