Some Indian women see it as a relief
Shaadaab S. Bakht
Shaadaab S. Bakht, who worked for famous Indian dailies The Telegraph, The Pioneer, The Sentinel and wrote political commentaries for Tehelka.com, is Gulf Today’s Executive Editor.
- 22 Aug 2019
LAW ON DIVORCE
She got married to be happy, but joy didn’t recognise her. Her wish to write a hymn of love turned out to be a reluctant dirge. It’s another story that happiness is actually a myth, a linguistic invention and its search just an excuse to keep the world moving.
I was completely numbed when I heard what I heard about her. It was about her husband threatening to divorce her over the phone because her father refused to fulfil his financial demands. He would have misused the practice of triple talaq, which allowed divorce by pronouncing the word “talaq,” thrice at one go. The practice was banned in India last month. India followed many Muslim countries.
She is the daughter of a dear friend. She feels she got trapped because no one bothered to do a proper background check on the guy before the marriage.
… A situation, which makes a tiger even out of an alley cat. And the meek mew invariably makes way for a thunderous growl.
It seems that the sole criterion for the boy to have been considered for the girl was that he was working in London. It’s really unfortunate that the father, a highly successful businessman, didn’t make a serious effort to find out what exactly he was doing there. Anyways, in due course it was discovered that he was working in a gas station and the salary wasn’t enough for him to maintain his wife in London.
Therefore, he used to continuously seek financial help from his father-in-law. The relationship naturally soured over a period of time and the divorce law — not really a challenge — emboldened the guy to twist the hapless woman’s arm.
In short, there was practically no fear of serious punitive repercussion, a situation, which makes a tiger even out of an alley cat. And the meek mew invariably makes way for a thunderous growl.
Therefore, not the practice of triple talaq, but its misuse was the main concern of women like my friend’s daughter. The ban definitely makes them less vulnerable. The pro-ban women now feel safe.
Well, the anti-ban group feels that the simple divorce law came as a relief to unhappy couples, who are often forced to carry on shell marriages, just to avoid the pain of going through endless legal hassles.
And all the members of the anti-ban group strongly feel that the action is definitely an interference with an age-old practice. Their fear is that it could mean the beginning of an effort to tamper with practices.
That’s an assault no believer deserves and will tolerate, especially when he is a part of a healthy democratic system. And because that part is important he wouldn’t like to be treated like a spare.
One hopes the politicians’decision, fair or unfair, must have been taken with women’s welfare in mind and not an eye on votes.