The Mangalorean Christian marriages generally have more assimilation towards the European culture rather than adhering to Indian cultural system/custom. This is very evident when we compare the way Mangalorean Christian marriages with that of Hindu or Muslim marriages. But whatever the cultural differences are the marriages in Mangalore and for that matter in entire India is considered as a sacred sacrament even now. In western countries like European and American, the significance of marriage is slowly deteriorating. In some of the marriages there are even pre-nuptial agreements and any one of the clause of that pre-nuptial agreement is violated then the other party as the right to depart from the agreement and in turn consider the marriage null and void.
In the past Mangalorean Christian marriages were all arranged marriages. But in recent decades, the arranged marriage system as experienced its slow erosion, by the emergence of, so called ?love? marriage culture. In Western, developed countries almost all the population does not believe in the concept of arranged marriages, where dating and ?love? marriage is the norm not an exception. This concept of love marriage is slowly creeping-up with the younger generation in not only in Mangalore but throughout the urban population of India. As the Western culture creeps into our sacred formalities, so does its adverse effect of divorce rate.
In the past, divorce was considered a stigma to not only to the family but also to the extended family. Now due to westernization, Mangalorean Christians are experiencing sudden acceleration of divorce rate. In developed countries especially, Western European and in North America dating is a norm and is accepted by the society and there is no question of arranged marriages. Each individual selects his/her own life partner through dating and gets married. Do we think our marriage system of arranged marriages is far more superior to the so called, ?love marriage?? Can we possibly compare the vices of (divorce) western custom of marriages to that of the virtues (low divorce rate) of arranged marriages back in our motherland? Do we think the love marriage is an epidemic to the marriage system of Mangalorean Christian or marriages in general in India?
Is our system is far more superior to western system? Let us discuss the pros and cons of these two systems.
Author: Stany DSouza- Chicago- USA.