THE TRIAL OF RAMA KAMAT

Back after a long time to post here.. something got me thinking about love and "love marriage".. In my experience, parents invariably have a problem if you find your own mate. Why is it so? I believe that parents, especially Indian parents expect absolute obedience from children and finding your own mate is like rebelling against their authority.. If you find somebody belonging to another caste, then God save you.. The usual reaction begins with a series of "how-could-do-this-to-us" then progresses to "this-is-what-we-get-in-return" then goes on in the same vein of emotional blackmail which finally ends with "either her/him-or us"..The older members of the family even suddenly develop cardiac arrest like symptoms (though nothing could be further from the truth).. The boy/girl is usually blamed for causing these pseudo heart attacks/ fainting spells.. These episodes (which I suspect are largely influenced by the daily soaps which are religiously watched by the females of the family) serve to dramatize the whole situation and make the boy/girl in question even more miserable.. It's actually pretty silly if you think about it.. they claim to be insulted in front of the society and friends..but they don't realize that they make up the society.. Now the children stuck in these situations have usually only two options left.. either elope and get married or succumb to the pressure and break-up.

Though break-ups are becoming more common nowadays, I believe they are still stressful. Why can't parents trust their children to make their own decisions and treat them as adults? Why can't they just give their blessings wholeheartedly and have faith in their children? This again goes back to how Indian parents expect their children to behave I guess.. As I was thinking along these lines, I realized that what if all the poor blokes facing the dilemma reversed blackmailed the parents and elders? ;) I mean, just imagine, instead of the mother/grandfather-with-cardiac-condition fainting on receiving the news, what if the boy/girl faints when the parents refuse to accept the girlfriend/boyfriend?? :D I don't mean this in a disrespectful sort of way but do think that sometimes, the only way to make stubborn people understand is to give them a dose of their own medicine.. ;)