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Don’t hasten dissolution of marriage

The article, “Divorce by mutual consent” (June 25) by Virendra Kumar, is timely, especially when the divorce graph in India is showing an upward trend. While women have been accorded the highest status in India, the reality is quiet different. The legal provisions related to matrimonial disputes “are perhaps the toughest for the courts to deal with”. The writer has rightly pointed out that the core concern of courts should be to save marriage and not hasten its dissolution.

Marriage is a sacred relationship meant for continuation of family lineage. Before the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, divorce was unthinkable in a Hindu family. But now people have understood its benefits. Divorce is permissible when both husband and wife can show that they cannot live together. However, divorce by mutual consent would be meaningless unless the court is completely satisfied.

In fact, young adults exercise both freedom and choice to enter, maintain and terminate wedlock. The factors that disrupt married life are jealousy, bigamy, vanity and revenge. In the event of a divorce, children are the ultimate sufferers, as they are deprived of love and care.

There is also a need to evolve a compassionate mechanism for redressing the grievance of runaway couples. The problem is due largely to love marriages. A boy and girl fall in love, get married and then divorce without any valid reason, because the law permits it. The couples should not forget that in good times, forgiveness, openness, acceptance, flexibility and kindness will enrich the relationship, and in bad times, they will keep the marriage strong.

Besides, marriage counselling can also help in checking the divorce rate. A week’s counselling is better than any other action. The couples going to marry should understand the importance of marriage and the consequences of divorce. Senior citizens and NGOs can also play an important role in saving the institution of marriage.

Harish K Monga, Ferozepur

Dr Raj Bahadur Yadav, Fatehabad

Thwarted ambition

The news story, “This thalassaemic is spurned for IAS job” (June 24) by Aditi Tandon, was shocking. It is sad to know that Sukhsohit Singh, who secured 833rd rank in the civil services examination, was denied a chance to serve the country despite the fact that the PGI had already made it clear that he was capable of performing his duties. He must be given a chance to fulfil his dream, as he had worked hard to achieve this success.

Kamaljeet Malwa, Mansa

Soaring cut-offs

This refers to the editorial, “Cut-offs are zooming” (June 17): Admission- seekers face big challenge”. The first cut-off list, declared by the affiliated colleges of Delhi University, has not only left the admission-seekers amazed and confused, but also compelled HRD Minister Kapil Sibal to come out with the statement desiring some changes in the admission process. The preference of students for the colleges affiliated to Delhi University keeps the cut-offs at higher levels. SRCC proudly leads the list of these privileged colleges. Recently, I had an opportunity to interact with students of SRCC.

I asked them what made their college unique. They said the college offered excellent opportunities for placement to the students. The second factor, according to them, was the cream of talent that gathered there from all parts of the country. Corporate houses are naturally attracted towards these institutions with the notion that they can find the most talented in these colleges. It is high time the corporate houses also start taking interest in institutions that are being run in small towns. Though these institutions do not have a brand image, they also have talented students, who can fulfil the requirements of the corporate sector.

Sanjeev Trikha, Fatehabad

Consume in moderation The middle, “A Lesson in frugality” (June 17) by M S Tandan gave me much food for thought. The writer described a startling experience in a Hamburg restaurant where he and his colleagues left one third of their food unconsumed on the table. They had to pay a fine for this lapse. Moreover, they were told in a stern voice: “Order what you can consume. Money is yours but resources belong to the society. There are many others in the world who are facing food shortage; you have no reason to waste resource” How remarkable! In this connection, I would like to share an incident. The other day, while returning from my morning walk, I witnessed a pathetic scene. It was a struggle between a small, apparently very poor girl, and a pig to grab as much of rotten wheat lying on the roadside as they could. Moreover, those who consume more food than they need are also to blame. They deprive hungry mouths of food and also suffer from ill-health due to overeating. Don’t they?  M K Kohli, Gurgaon