BY NEELAM CHAUDHARY

The right to marry at the age of 30 or even 40, should be our own . Do you agree ?

The right to choice to marriage is something we are all born with. It is not set in stone that we all need to marry. That is a personal choice of whether or not we want to share our lives or not . These informed decisions should be the norm not the threat of singledom and age old , “Who will be with you when your sick and old” ?

However, if you belong to a desi family, this choice is really a norm. Just like education is , marriage is assumed the next step. For women specially, career is secondary. Our roles are set, 10th grade, college degree, marriage, children and the list goes on. Any change from this normal route is met with raised eyebrows. The infamous question , ” Shaadi Kab Kar Rahe Ho” follows us till the knot is tied.

Here are some basic desi taunts borne by all youngsters :

If you are between the age 20-25, then get married and your future is set. If your age is more
than 25, then when you will get married, you’ll become too old and no one will want you. You will get a partner who is old too. When will you have children ? These taunts are endless. You and I hear this every other day !

Under the pressure, many girls get ready for doing what family and society says. The
pressure can be emotional, psychological abuse, sexual abuse or physical abuse. The men aren’t as forced as us. They are allowed till 30 years of age while girls should be married off at the 25 year mark.

Forced marriage or pressurized marriage takes away the right of marriage as per our choice. Especially, from us girls. And it also snatches the other female rights, like right to education. We are told that the finances are stowed away for our marriage not for our education. You have heard this before, ” Why waste money on the girls education” !

But “Forced marriage” is not the only Problem. It’s just the start of countless other problems. In these types of marriages, parents and then in laws decide your fate. Your career, your reproductive health, your choice to even selecting a partner is all determined by our families. And yet, we appease them with choosing to settle down only to be faced by the next challenge. And after getting married, society forces us to dish out “GoodNews” !

The actuality is that society does not care about you, your career, your success and your happiness. To them desi families, a women is just a mother and housekeeper . They don’t care about what a girl or a woman literally wants.

So, It is important that we “women” make ourselves aware and know our rights. And learn to
fight for these most basic rights.

FIND YOU, REALIZE YOUR POTENTIAL AND BAAD MEIN WE WILL THINK OF SHAADI AND GOOD NEWS !