Undercurrents #2: Marriage of (in)convenience 

11.30am, 20th February, Marharastra State 

Overheard phone conversation
Sudha: “Hello, tell me”
Caller: “I want to divorce my husband. I need help to know what to put on the official forms”
Sudha: “What’s the reason you want a divorce?”
Caller: “My husband is gay. His family set up an arranged marriage to keep it a secret. He is a high profile figure. It’s ruined my life.”
Sudha: “You have to submit on the grounds of unsatisfactory sexual relations.”

I felt utterly perplexed by this conversation; I had so many questions about this reality, on so many different levels.
This was the opening of a very involved conversation about gender realities in urban areas.

end

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Cultural Undercurrents:
What might this story tells us about the invisible forces at play in society?

· Homosexuality is a taboo across much of the country, very few public figures are openly gay.

· Having sexual relations with someone of the same sex was decriminalised in India 4 years ago. That ruling was overturned recently meaning that homosexual relations are now again punishable by law, however it is rarely enforced.

· A culture of arranged marriages is dominant

· Sudha catalyses and nurtures networks that provide necessary relationship support and guidance to a growing number of urban women who aren’t part of a community that they can rely on to provide this support otherwise.