Marriage is a chapter of life, a contract which in its essence promises joy and benefits for those who seek. It is a salient feature of human civilization that is institutionalized in every society and culture on the foundations of worldly significance and respect for human relations. Besides the religious context, every society and community has its exclusive ways to conduct marriage.
No one can doubt the importance of marriage, not only as a social practice but also from the angle of human need. It is the phenomenon through which the existence on this planet stands sustained. In the history of the movement of human civilization many practices were discarded and new elements were added to human society, but the institution of marriage remained intact. This way it became a central structure around which other social institutions were built. This is the reason every religion in the world maintains and upholds the sanctity of this institution.
However, among many social problems that our society is confronted with nowadays, deterioration of the institution of marriage is highly alarming. This situation has taken a challenging position in our society, not only has it weaken our social values but is has also made the family structure quite fragile. For all those who value the institution of family it is deeply disturbing. If the thread that ties two souls into a union and lays the foundation of family turns slender our society will start falling apart. Even in the countries where the institution of family is not that strong, one finds a revival of faith in the primacy of this institution.
Over the years, post marital problems are showing a steep rise in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, as some statistics reveal, must not pass off as an ordinary thing. It should stir our conscience and compel us to think over the situation. We need to explore the reasons that have led to this steep rise in the post marriage problems that ultimately lead to divorces and give birth to woeful tales of the children of broken families.
The factors that result in spoiling the relation between spouses are varied and need to be tackled accordingly. In some cases elders can be held responsible for not allowing the spouses to have the required amount of freedom in the family. It leads to the suffocation of souls and as a result of it the bond between spouses comes under a tremendous pressure. In certain other cases poverty is the direct source of trouble. Still some other cases point towards a flawed way of making matches. All these factors contribute toward crisis.
So if a solution is to be found to this problem it first needs to be understood in a holistic way and then alone can a remedy be suggested. By adhering to the teachings of compassion and forgiveness our family elders can in many cases save a relation from going into pieces.
(Author is a research scholar in sociology and is a teacher by profession)
