Sajjan Singh

Firstly, I want to set a context. I don't live in India and even in my country, there is a pressure on Indian women to get married before 30 years of age due to fear by Indian parents that they can't find good grooms after that. I admit this is regressive and I want this mindset to change too. But the fact is, even in modern Indian communities who live overseas, there is still a lingering prejudice that women have to get married by the age of 30.

Furthermore, when a marriage is broken, it is usually the female who is affected more. People are more willing to question her character than the male's. I had a cousin, who underwent a divorce a few years back. Many people, including her own relatives, questioned her character. Was she too arrogant? Was she too uncompromising? My cousin had a difficult time with her in-laws and her husband but no one was that willing to question her in-laws and husband and even if they did, did not question their characters as much as they did hers. I hated it, how society always places the blame on women. But this is part of life and a big battle many Indian women have to fight against.

Hence, when Sajjan Singh begged Abhay, blamed Ratan and lamented many times that Diya was not yet married, especially when her marriage broke at the last moment, I did not agree with him. I found it regressive and wished that he stood up for Diya. But I have to admit that he is a realistic replica of an Indian parent. An indian who is constrained by and abides to societal dictates. He is a father who knows how society looks down on an unmarried woman who is older than 30 years and how cruelly society judges a woman whose marriage broke, especially at the last moment.

I do not agree with him, but I do understand his feelings. As he is a realistic example of many Indian parents. Looking at him, I only feel sad to see how Indian society cruelly judges and treats unmarried older women. He only makes me yearn for more progress in this area and for society to be more accepting of unmarried older women, just like they are to unmarried older men.

she feels she let them down and ignored them as she was out fulfilling her promise and now she is back, she is trying to make up for the hurt she feels she puts them through as she was forced into that tough choice.

but what is worse is that she saw abhay and his sister trash and walk all over her father's self respect and dignity and somewhere that promise of hers is responsible...and so is she...that is how she sees it. feeling in part responsibly (though not rightly) is making her break down. when abhay left...she saw him and arpita walk over his turban and that is what hurt her and made her cry. she did not cry much when they hurt her. she stood up to them there.

she is seeing her parents...her father going through much anguish and yes, just to alleviate it, she is willing to go through the marriage in hopes that it gives her father some peace of mind