I am another person here who is very disappointed with the direction the plot seems to be taking. But this post is not about Swalak or RagYa or any other couple on this or any other show except indirectly. This post is my expression of deep concern about what the television industry is conveying to our public - young and old. The message being passed on through many a serial is that forced marriage - whether by parents or circumstances or manipulation, is a "Good Idea" and leads to a development of love and understanding between the leads after initial misunderstandings, dislike and nok-jhoks.
Apart from tellyworld, we have probably all heard stories and examples of the type of thing where you honour a marriage no matter what. These are designed mainly to influence and guide (or control) youngsters. A couple of examples are:
oh, so & so loved a very beautiful girl in college but his parents did not a agree he was married off to his mother choice but he was not willing to accept her, made her sleep on the floor, then eventually he was won over by her love and now they are very happy.
Or
One girl, during the wedding ceremony discovered during the wedding ceremony that her bridegroom was mentally subnormal when he started asking for sweeties.It seems his uncle was marrying him off to get his hands on the property but oh wow look at that girl, she was so good she continued with the ceremony and honoured her marriage vows.
The message is , do not question your elders they always know best in every situation also even if you are duped into a marriage ceremony with a mentally subnormal person considered highly moral to honour that marriage. Love happens as the flicking of a very convenient switch when the vows are made, the priests chant their mantras or ask qubool hai?
CVs can show what they like in shows, but in real life forced weddings very often do not have a happy ending. If you find happiness in there it is sheer luck. I can tell you that from my own experience. I cared for someone but his parents did not accept me. He was well indoctrinated by the stories quoted above and said his duty lay in giving his parents happiness. The result was just three unhappy damaged lives and one very dysfunctional relationship.
On the more serious side I just read a very disturbing article by a female Asian journalist in Britain who reported the pressures faced by mostly Asian and Arab youngsters being forced into marriage. One young man was actually not interested in women, was forced to marry and consummate - with the result that now his poor wife is now also hiv positive.
Another hated his wife so much he fantasised about killing her.
One young woman was so brutalised she left her home with blood running down her legs and still her parents insisted on her returning to the man. She is hiding from them with the help of the police for fear of being taken back to him and/ or murdered.
So to keep making serials where the hero or heroine are forced into a marriage (practically all of them on all channels) hating the counterpart but falling in love in a typical expected way is not only creatively lazy but actually damaging to people's minds and to society.
Especially some recent serials where girls are married off to some dangerously psychopathic individuals- seem dangerously irresponsible. Impressionable young women gush about love-hate relationships without realising such marriages would probably lead to either a life of misery or a secretive and rushed funeral. It is the height of irresponsibility to encourage young people to become puppets and forgo any growth or maturity in order to comply with social norms.
It seems Ragya fans have that kind of thing in mind - comments such as love-hate relationship,marry then gradually be won over with fights angry looks etc the old old old story family elders love to promulgate.
But, as in Laksh's case, just think how terrible it would be if the person you have married has actually deliberate destroyed the one person you had vowed to love and protect. Or for Swara to marry Sanskaar who drugged her and probbaly would not have intervened if the guys in the club had carried her off.
What are your thoughts?
Anupamaa
