Mutual-consent divorce is a newfangled term which has been learned since past decade. Section 13B of the HMA Act 1955 provides for divorce by mutual consent in Indian law, and today Mumbai is echoing with this newly embraced nomenclature for the most sacred social relationship. Two people vow to stay with each other through the thick and thin and then very after that they vow to get separated from each other in sort of ceremonial validation in which both partners are mutually agreed. Divorces used to be very nonreciprocal process in which one party- mostly women- was always against this brutal break up. They were always found resistant and stubborn over taking divorce no matter how hard they have spent life with that particular man. Now the women are more aware and have more opportunities to grow up in the society, that she, if not comfortably but in agreeable manners, is playing a role to circularize the culture of mutual partition.
In retrospect, Reportedly, 11667 cases of divorce were filed in India‘s one large metropolitan city, Mumbai in 2014, 8347 cases were filed in Kolkata in 2014, 2000 divorce cases were filed in lucknow family court in which 900 couples were those who have been married for less than a year. The rising figure of filed cases has also increased the demand for new family courts to set up in Bengaluru in 2013 to deal with this growing monster of divorce. An unusual trend in the country where the divorce rate was just 1 in 1,000 a decade ago, now has reached 13 per 1,000. Above figures are about those cases which have been registered, still there would be many unofficial divorces which has no record yet, as India has no central or even state-wise registry of divorce data. Family court officials reported that the number of divorce applications has doubled in cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Lucknow over the past decade.
They cite a range of reasons-like joint family system in India, late marriages which result in complex compromising bond, financial independence of women, media awareness as today’s women know about her rights, unwillingness of getting married with the particular person, the usual like-dislike thing, more opportunities for men and women both outside that result in infidelity. Hindustan-times quote a Mumbai-based psychotherapist and counselor Pallavi Bhurkay, “earlier couples used to come to me to fix the marriage but now young couples come to me by already make up minds with the solution of divorce and ask me to help in convincing their stubborn partner that divorce is a right decision to comfort the lives of both.
Break up with Mutual-consent has romance in the words, though painful, only a sadist and a poet can get a taste from it, not the realist
It is the era of hypermobility among young generation. They are physically and emotionally strong enough to take big decisions, which are at the same time good to go for the sake of individuality but also are creating a huge fuss in the social boundaries, totally not in favor of collectivism. Couples who have been found divorcing each other seems having no regrets after, neither want alimony, all they want an immediate separation to get over with it. Indian penal code 498-A is a big contribution in the reservoir. Women are aware of the fact that this law will favor them in any case.
Indian media is promoting Hedonism among young generation. Soap operas, Indian films and other segments are the opposite of its own culture. Self-awareness of rights is very fruitful though, but taking life’s important decisions according to one’s own culture is the best thing to survive in favorable manners in its own surrounding. If a relationship is flawed there is always someone else who could fill your spouse’s shoes rather in start with empathy later result in divorce. Today’s career focusing women is no more ready to sacrifice on her personal growth. She does not want to be only a house wife to cook food and to please her in-laws. On humanitarian grounds the individualistic thought process is supported by developed societies but it still needs space and time to prevail in third world countries like India. On average note, Women who own such thinking gets divorced must for once in her life. On the other hand Man is man, he never like to be stay- home dad unlike the dad in European countries.
The point arise here whether modern women is on right track in raising voice for herself with zero tolerance or the men’s desire to get her back, the women of old times, is right way. Only left phenomenon to implement is to change the thought process of the society as a whole.
