Friday, April 26, 2019

A celebrity unwed couple, a love child and a society of hate


This is the twentieth century, not only have we as a country conquered space but we also are vehemently moving forward in becoming a towering economic entity. India is slowly transforming herself from her identity as a third world country for whom the only strength is her numbers to a progressive personality that is edging her way to the big boy table.

All  is good in the hood that is,  till a actor Arjun Rampal posts a very loving photo of his and his pregnant better half.  What is so shocking about a woman being pregnant ? the fact that she is not married to the man.

Flashback to the eighties and nineties bollywood movies, where  a unwed mother brought all kinds  of hell raining down on the woman from being pushed into flesh trade, to living a life of obscurity to being stoned by the community. What has changed after nearly three decades?  nothing . Just the medium of  abuse.




While the Bollywood community shared their joy for Actor Arjun  Rampal and his girlfriend Gabriella Demetriades  the couple was stoned with words of contempt from the people on social media.  The same words and same thoughts which molded our society a few decades ago once again rear their pointed spears to inflict wounds on a couple for a choice that is very personal.

The constant refrain is of our culture being tarnished by a unwed mother and a love child. The comments follow in thousands and they are that of absolute horror. I don’t see that horror expressed on stories about gang rapes, sexual abuse of children, dowry death or forced prostitution. All these incidences are accepted as a norm, something that happens so often that it does not warrant a comment.  These incidences do not tarnish our social fabric. But a child brought into this world by a couple who is competent enough to take care of their baby is simply not acceptable.

There are thousands of children in India who are living a miserable life because their parents have not given a single thought to their needs before bringing them  into this world. Like animals they are bred and left to fend for themselves. Some parents find themselves not being able to commit to the parenthood but cannot accept the fact because being parents is supposed to be the most natural thing in the world.  These children live a life of neglect, does society care ?  no these children are ignored because that is life.

A couple who is in love and who is fully committed to bringing up the child in the best way possible is not ignored. They are hated because even though the emotions are in place, responsibility and mental ability is in place the most important thing is not. A legal paper that says the word marriage.