Generation Gap

living together and not marriedIJ You’re a sinner, characterless and a shame on your family. This mindset continues to dog our society. Pre-marital sex and live-in relationships are still taboo. In a recent case where a girl eloped with a boy who was an adult but not of marital age, the adult girl's custody was given to her father by the Kerala High Court on the girl’s father's plea. The order was passed noting the age of the boy.

This shows how the gap between the elders and the youth is still not bridged, especially when it come to live-in relationships. This despite the fact  that more and more couples are opting for live-in relationships mostly without parental approval. Parents still believe they own their children like a property. They argue that they take decisions in the best interest of their children but they need to see that their little ones have grown up and are eligible to take their own decisions.

In the Kerala case, the boy in question moved the Supreme Court against the High Court order on the ground that the girl is an adult and that gives her the right to live with whoever she wishes to. Upholding the argument, the SC reversed the HC order, stating that two consenting adults can live together even if the boy is not of marital age. Though their marriage would be unlawful they still, according to SC, have the right to live together without marriage. Isn’t it too conservative and authoritative of the parents to not let their children live with someone they wish toIJ Why is it that their life and decisions will never actually be yours in this societyIJ All these restrictions are too much to live with.

The laws have already opened up to the idea of two consenting adults living together without marriage and the concept of ‘live-in relationship’ has found a place in the provisions of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. So, isn't it about time that parents and the society accept this reality tooIJ Do they have any valid argument against it other than the ‘log kya kahenge’, ‘ye galat hai’, ‘ye humara culture mein nahi’ or the ‘sanskar’ excuseIJ

These couples are no sinnersIJ Every adult has the right to make his or her own decision and that includes the choice of living lawfully any which way he or she wants to.