Love, Actually ?
Then & now
Marriages are of 2 types in India — Arranged & Love.
Rewind the years to see how the former claimed the major share. A traditional matchmaking by parents used to be final, not just for this life but the union was considered sacred for many lives to come…
Finding a partner needed a pragmatic approach of both families sharing similar culture, thinking & financial status & romance was too abstract , best left to the movies.
Actually something as spontaneous as love was half done for you. Get married first, love will follow… hilarious it may sound now, but the generations had been conforming to this rule & without complaints, in most of the cases !
That’s how it was supposed to be…
Thanks to the hormones , the age & acceptance — fiery romance & passion were reflexes in this serendipitous union. Yeah & if lucky you’d get a courtship period post engagement. Eventually a sense of companionship & understanding used to grow to last a lifetime.
But things are changing now !
The younger generation is challenging this dictat, especially the girls who with their newfound financial freedom are calling the shots.
Compatibility is getting tried & tested beforehand. Ubiquitous internet & dating apps are playing the supporting roles.
The old conditioning not withstanding, parents are accepting the change.
The strong & confident new gen is impressive & the freedom of girls to have a say & options is a breath of fresh air !
Romance & love are no more the garnishing but the basic need of the recipe, cooked to perfection ! But it hastily gets tossed out if not tasting good enough. No time or effort to tweak it, repair & save it…
Hell, why even try ? It’s available at dime a dozen… on the lookout again !
Once unheard of, divorces are on the rise… Nobody should live in a bad marriage but many times it’s the small issues & ego clashes to blame as it’s the battle of the equals now. Flaws replace frolic… Old school interventions aren’t in place as parents were not involved.
So in either case, does unconditional love even exist or it takes more than that for a happy life ?
Once the bubbly romance fizzles out & unless the fillers of understanding, patience, tolerance, acceptance & letting go take it’s place, it doesn’t work out.
Overrated love, is it ? I guess so…
For Modern Women February Writing Prompt —
Aspects of love
