Marriages are made in heaven, but live-in relationships in India are clearly not! It’s something that our society has never accepted and views as immoral. While couples actually opt for living together without engaging in legal bonds to know their partner better, the dispute is about the idea of pre-marital sex. Our Indian culture and tradition still considers living with your partner outside wedlock as wrong.
Despite the Supreme Court declaring live-in relationships to be legal in India, it’s still a stigma most young couples are fighting. Even today, there are instances where unmarried couples have to produce fake marriage documents to rent a place. Add to that, paying extra brokerage fees and rent to avoid any hassles later. All of this, to be able to live a life of your choice. About time, we let them be.
They don’t suffer from Gamophibia.
Image Credit: Luka Chuppi, Maddock Films
Most live-in couples are predicted to be suffering from gamophobia, the fear of marriage or commitment. They are considered to be people running away from responsibilities and lifelong liabilities. In reality, it’s just a better way to know and understand their partner. Isn’t it better to be absolutely sure of the person you are marrying? It only helps you get clarity and figure out whether they are compatible with each other or not before entering a lifelong commitment, marriage.
Live-in relationships are not for sex
Image Credit: Shuddh Desi Romance, Yash Raj Films
The whole debate stands on pre-marital sex, isn’t it? But then, not everything is about sex, and sex isn’t everything. A couple doesn’t decide to stay together to make sex more accesible. A live-in relationship is as good as a marriage, which includes equal responsibilities and liabilities. Yes, you do have the option to walk out of the relationship anytime you want, but that’s not what one aims for. Hectic work schedules, stress, differences in opinion and other factors affect the frequency of sexual intercourse between a live-in couple as much it does a married couple.
Love is never immoral, mindsets are
Image Credit: Luka Chuppi, Maddock Films
Society will never refrain from making a live-in couple feel that they are being morally and ethically incorrect, by staying together outside wedlock. The couple is free to choose their way of togetherness and nobody has a say in that. They are adults, and have all the right to lead their life the way they want to without any interference from bigoted society. In short, they aren’t answerable for their choice of life as long as it’s not harming anyone else. Love is a pure feeling. They are not setting wrong examples, it’s society and their regressive thoughts that are.
Not every relationship has to end in marriage
Image Credit: Luka Chuppi, Maddock Films
No bond or relationship comes with a guarantee or security. Not even marriage, even though it’s traditionally believed so. Be it financial or emotional. The growing number of divorce cases in India is proof. Love and commitment means different things to different people, and not every love story has to translate into marriage. In real life, love isn’t always going to be a happily ever after. Some people may not really believe in marrying the one they love and marriage being the ultimate security. For some people, commitment is just having their partner beside them, without any law attached to it. And that’s absolutely, OKAY! There’s nothing wrong with that!
Lead Image Credit: Shuddh Desi Romance, Yash Raj Films
