What Does Marriage Mean to the Millennials in India?

Introduction

The existence of the institution of marriage in human civilisation in form or the other, is as old as human existence. Marriage from a layman’s perspective may be defined as the union of the body, mind and soul of a male (in the form of a bridegroom) with that of a female (in the form of a bride). In other words, it may be also marked by co-habitation between two souls, one male and the other female under one roof. At the same time, change is the essence of time. So, does has change come to the institution of marriage in one form or the other among the millennials of India. Therefore, in this regard, it is worthwhile pondering what does marriage means to the millennials in India specially with the passage of time or in the specific context of the new millennium. Here is an introspection and an analysis in this regard: -

• Marriage means to the millennials of India a stage of life:
  Marriage for the millennials especially in the context of our country India means a passage of time from one stage that is ofbachelor/bachelorette to that of a married state of life. If in the married life there is understanding, cooperation and a feeling of gratitude among the married couples for each other then, in their conjugal life there is predominance of the pronoun ‘we’ instead of ‘I’, in every facet of their lives. Thus, marriage according to me, means sharing and caring of two souls who are intimately connected by love and affection for one another even in the complexities of this new millennium. Marriage thus for these millennials may also be termed as the union of these two opposite sexes and to form their own perspectives towards their own lives, future planning for enlarging their own family and as well as to have an overall outlook towards the whole world at large.
• Marriage for the millennials in India means unlimited freedom with a feather cut:
  Marriage in one form or the other gives the two souls entering the wedlock the freedom of having the fusion of their body, mind and the soul without any restrictions/ sanctions of the society. Thus, marriage for the millennials is a license to pro-create and thereby have their own family. At the same time, although these happy married couples are flying high in the dreamland of their married life yet, with the passage of life and with added conjugal life’s responsibilities one of their feather of their happiness seems to be shrinking or cut-off especially in the context of goal-oriented millennial married couples of our country. This feather is of caring or sharing of the extended family or of the responsibilities of the married life even by sometimes keeping aloof the respective goals of their life for few years. The more the understanding and corporation between the millennial married couples the more easily this burden of responsibility seems to become a source of happiness rather than being burden itself.
• Marriage for the millennials of India means more a sense of partnership:
  It would also not be wrong to presume that marriage for the millennials of India means more of a sense of partnership. With the breaking down of the joint family and the emergence of the nuclear family, both the couples among most of the modern millennial couples of our country work and earn theirown livelihood and as a result the financing of the family expenses are done mostly by both of them. Thus, if there is understanding between the two,spending and earning between the dual earners seems to be a source of happiness. On the contrary, if there is bickering between the two in financial matters then happiness in conjugal life seems to be a mirage. Therefore, it is for these millennials especially of our country, India to choose whether they want to make happiness in their married life a reality or just a mirage.
• Marriage for the millennials of India to some extent means a contract:
  It seems as things are turning out to be among the modern millennium married couples of our country marriage has turned out to be a contract. Today there has been a breakdown of marriage in large numbers especially among the modern millennial couples in India, thereby making loneliness and isolation among married millennials of the country a reality. Today in married life the husband wants to fulfil his certain desires, needs and goals of life making her wife and her paternal family scapegoat. This phenomenon of making the bride’s family scapegoat sometimes takes the form of dowry demands, monetary help, asking for similar other forms of help etc., If these demands are fulfilled marriage subsists or on the contrary most of the time either there is violence, anarchy and even sometimes breakdown of marriage among the married millennial couples especially in our country India. The very basic and fundamental tenet on which marriage subsists is mutual love and affection among the married couples. In this regard arrogance, especially among the married millennials of our country should not have any place in it.
• Marriage for the millennials in India, to a large extent means added responsibility without making any sacrifice for withholding the marriage: - Marriage as said above is the union of two body , mind and soul in the form of bride and bridegroom. With procreation comes new responsibilities and with new responsibilities comes the need of sharing these responsibilities like upbringing of children, schooling, parental guidance to name a few in this regard. At the same time, in this present consumerist world, arrogance and escapism for many people has become the buzzwords of their life. Therefore, these buzzwords of life namely escapism and arrogance has touched the lives of the married millennials of our country too. Today married couples most of the time it is seen that, they most of them cares little for their newly created happy home. Rather, they are more interested in the other world outside the home. What the newly married millennials especially of our country, India need to remember is that marriage and the conjugal life thereafter subsists via mutual help and understanding between the husband and the wife in the most beautiful place of this world called ‘home, sweet home’.

Conclusion

Many a man many the mind. Thus, the perception towards marriage also varies from person to person. But it is a facttoo, that marriage is the union of two persons conjugally to procreate. What should be remembered by each one entering the marriage or wed-lock is to maintain the sanctity of the marriage or otherwise the matrimonial relationship may become wayward. Moreover, marriage should not be a ‘you go your way and I go in mine’ phenomenon. Rather, marriage especially in the context of the millennials of our country, India should be an effort to find the middle path in between. At the same time, this middle path should lead the married millennials especially of our country India to a destination where there is only happiness, happiness and unbound happiness in their respective lives.

- Jnandeep Bora