Gokul Sreedhar’s Facebook post celebrating his mother’s second marriage is a slap to society’s taboo against older women looking for love.
India is a country where society is not very accepting of a woman remarrying. We often see cases where women are forced to stay in abusive marriages because “what will people say”. On top of this, society makes it miserable for the ones who dare to come out of an unhappy marriage.
“Iska chatira acha nahi hoga, pati ko khush nahi rakhti hogi to pati marega hi na” (Her character is not decent, it’s logical for a husband to beat up his wife if she can’t make him happy). Comments like these are pretty commonly flung at women who leave their husbands primarily because of domestic abuse.
In a society full of such comments Gokul Sreedhar’s Facebook post celebrating his mother’s remarriage is a huge step towards acceptance.
Gokul Sreedhar, a young man from Kerala, posted recently on Facebook (in Malayalam) celebrating his mother’s remarriage. He wrote that he had been debating whether to write about it or not, especially because remarriage is still a taboo in this country.
He wrote of how his mother had faced a lot of domestic abuse in her first marriage. How she had to still stay in it because of societal pressures and for the sake of her child. Sreedhar also mentioned that the day his mother decided to move out of the abusive marriage was the day he decided that he will help her get remarried.
In his post, he urged readers not to look with at his mother remarrying with hatred or contempt because his mother is “too old to get married”. He also mentioned that even if they do, he couldn’t care less.
In our society marriage is a social compulsion, but remarriage is taboo! Strange, right? Gopal Sreedhar with his post has given a very inspiring and empowering message. Something that our flawed society needs to understand. Romance and marriage for older people are not quite what society approves of. Our society needs to learn that there is nothing wrong with a woman remarrying for her happiness.
Giving women the freedom to choose their life partner irrespective of their age is what we need to do as a society. There is nothing wrong with looking for a new beginning and a fresh start to a relationship.
After all if two people can find companionship, satisfaction and have fun in old age, why shouldn’t they marry? And yes, no one should have a problem with that.
Image credits Gokul Sreedhar
I read, I write, I dream and search for the silver lining in my life. Being a student of mass communication with literature and political read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, indivisual posts do not necessarily represent the platofrom's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
If in-laws treat their daughters in law differently, it can certainly lead to a very traumatic and sticky situation in the family.
“Can you get me some water?” asked my MIL from her place in the bedroom at 11a.m. on a leisurely Sunday.
Apologies to patriotic people, but most of us Indians are not sensitive to special needs people & their emotions. Let's make this world a better place for them!
Apologies to patriotic people, but most of us Indians are not sensitive to special needs people & their emotions. Let’s make this world a better place for them!
My daughter Farheena is a young, smart lady with special needs. She is 26 years of age. I was diagnosed with 3rd Stage breast cancer when she was just 11 months old. Considering how our society responds to people who are different in any way, I was so scared to die that I kicked cancer and continued living. Of course, I had to undergo regular treatment to overcome cancer, but it was not tough.
Taapsee Pannu's new movie's trailer was released recently and was lauded for the way it deals with domestic violence. The latest person to praise it was Smriti Irani. Here's what she had to say.
Taapsee Pannu’s new movie’s trailer was released recently and was lauded for the way it deals with domestic violence. The latest person to praise it was Smriti Irani. Here’s what she had to say.
How many have heard “aurat ko hi adjust karna padta hai?” (a woman is the only one who has to adjust) How many think, “ki maar pitai sift gareeb auroton ke hi pati karte hain?” (only poor women are the ones whose husbands beat them up) How many believe “ki educated aadmi kabhi haath nai uthata?” (educated men don’t hit their wives) How many tell their girls, their daughters-in-law, “koi baat nahi beta, aisa humare saath bhi hua lekin dekho aaj kitne khush hai?” (Just let it go, child. We have also gone through the same but look how happy we are today)
Janani realised she was no longer a child. Nor did she consider herself a woman. She felt trapped in between, unsure where she would fit in.
As she sat facing the un-plastered walls of her bedroom, Janani pressed the chalk on the hard slate surface. She drew two slanting lines that touched each other at the top. Then, she drew a horizontal line that connected the two lines. ‘A’. She smiled looking at the shaky ‘A’. It was better than her previous attempts.