Divorce cases increasing in Tamil Nadu

Chennai, Aug 5: Marriages for lifetime maybe a good tagline for a matrimonial portal in the e-world. But the 21st century relationships are wilting under 'modern world' pressures.

Perhaps, the Charlie Chaplin's movie under the nomenclature did not envisage such a situation. But it's real and happening especially in Chennai.

According to marriage counsellors and Prosecution Directorate, there has been an upsurge in the number of divorce cases involving newly-weds not only in IT but in other sectors as well.

''Ego-related conflicts, idiosyncrasies, western culture, 'strange' habits, the stress of managing adjustment and inevitable disappointments, to mention just a few, are some of the reasons to seek divorce,'' Ms Rajani Nandakumar, Relationship Counsellor with BharatMatrimony.com, a leading marriage portal, told the sources.

In the past, not much attention was paid to the issue of divorce, its causes and harmful effects. Nor were any measures devised to prevent it.

Yet the cases of divorce were few and far between, she said adding problems like the wife going against husband's wish and wanting to lead independent life is leading to separation these days.

''The social changes have taken such a turn now there are more chances of disruption of family bonds,'' she added.

''The figures show in the past two years, the rate of divorce among young couples in the city is rising steadily. Most of them are going for it through mutual consent.

''Last year, of the 35 divorce cases I handled, seven involved newly-weds,'' a leading lawyer in the city said.

According to official statistics given by family court sources, about 6,000 divorce cases were pending apart from 700 cases for alimony.

Interestingly, about 15 to 20 cases related to both divorce and alimony cases were being filed every day before the family court. In some of the cases, the couples had been married for as less as 15 days to six months. United Nations's statistics also reflect the rising trend of divorce in many countries in the recent years.

However, the finding further said in India, there had been no accurate statistics about divorce rate due to large number of rural residents and incomplete divorce system. But it is widely acknowledged that the divorce rate had increased steadly in the country.

In rural areas, the practice of marriages between close relatives were common. In such cases, there was also a possibility of divorce in one of the couples overlapping into the married life of the other couples in the family leading to their separation, Ms K Kavitha, another counsellor said.

According to the law, even a petition for separation on mutual consent takes about a year, including the six-month mandatory conciliation period.

If a petition is moved jointly under Section 13-B (1) of the Hindu Marriage Act and affidavits filed by both the partners saying they had been living separately without physical relationship for a year, the court would grant divorce after six months.

S Roshni, young divorcee who works with an NGO, explains, ''It is just that when you cease to (rather, choose not to) feel for the other person in the relationship... things go downhill. ''As with any other relationship, the plant called marriage needs nurturing with love, care and a little bit of give and take. ''Couples, especially women, are opting for divorce because they are not willing to accept unreasonable behaviour by their husbands.

This is not necessarily a sign of decadence of our society,'' she reasons.

However, newly-wed Rishi, a civil engineer who applied for divorce said ''it is just a matter of sudden decision. Whether I did the mistake or my wife is to blame, is immaterial.

''I am going to stick to my decision,'' he said summing up the attitude of the next generation youngsters whose impatience and independence in taking decisions are beginning to throw up cracks in the hallowed institution of marriage in a culturally rich and tradition-bound India.

UNI