Page 73 - index
P. 73
I am 32 years old and I live in Bangalore. I am an engineering graduate and thanks to a good job in a big
IT company, I was able to save money and build a house for my parents. But just because of caste
differences, my father opposed my relationship with Ajay, a very good-natured man that I fell in love
with. For almost 2.5 years, I was in stress every single day.
There was not a single thing that I didn’t try in order to convince my parents. They too tried everything -
from love to anger, threats and violence. I was also put under house arrest with all my belongings - my
wallet, driving license and cell phone - taken away from me. I was not allowed to stand at the entrance of
the house also. I was 27 years old at that time.
One of my relatives came home to visit and told me that my dad is planning to arrange my wedding
within a week or ten days against my wish. She gave me some money and I used that to run to my
relative’s house. His family supported me and I got married without my parents’ presence.
When I gave birth to my child, other than the hospital staff, my husband was the only person with me in
the hospital. There was no one from my family just because of my father’s strict instructions. My father
does not allow my mother to meet me. He has taken away her phone and threatened to throw her out of
the house if she meets me. She underwent angioplasty surgery a year ago and has diabetes and yet, I
can’t take care of her.
I have a question for society. In spite of all the love and responsibility that I have shown towards my
family, should I be deprived of my right to talk to my mother and experience the love that she has for me
and my child?
-Kavya
--
Just because I am not a Baniya, I can’t marry a girl whom I love so much? I work as a content editor in
Noida. My colleague and I love each other since six months. Her father has said a firm ‘No’ to our
relationship. I am sick and tired of the caste system that is hurting our country. In what world are we
supposed to see the surname of the person before loving them? She is the best person I have met in life
and I don’t think I would ever find a better person.
I know I will not be able to marry her and I am not asking you guys to do anything for me. She is paying
the price for respecting her family. We don’t want to run away because that is not what we have been
taught but I really want to be with her. Yeh life bahut chhoti hai and I don’t want to spend it feeling
regretful. I don’t possibly know what you can do about this. I am just a simple man who loves a girl
sincerely and wants to be with her.
-Vinod
--
Ours is an inter-caste marriage. I was born into an orthodox Hindu Brahmin family that is financially
well-off. I fell in love with my classmate Pradeep who is a Menon. When Pradeep spoke to my parents
about us they told him they would never support our marriage. For five years after that, my mother
hardly ever spoke to me. I was the only child and I was going through hell.
After many attempts by my uncle to convince my parents, they finally agreed to a simple wedding
function at a temple. An occasion which should have been a celebration turned out to be very simple
with hardly ten attendees.
70
IT company, I was able to save money and build a house for my parents. But just because of caste
differences, my father opposed my relationship with Ajay, a very good-natured man that I fell in love
with. For almost 2.5 years, I was in stress every single day.
There was not a single thing that I didn’t try in order to convince my parents. They too tried everything -
from love to anger, threats and violence. I was also put under house arrest with all my belongings - my
wallet, driving license and cell phone - taken away from me. I was not allowed to stand at the entrance of
the house also. I was 27 years old at that time.
One of my relatives came home to visit and told me that my dad is planning to arrange my wedding
within a week or ten days against my wish. She gave me some money and I used that to run to my
relative’s house. His family supported me and I got married without my parents’ presence.
When I gave birth to my child, other than the hospital staff, my husband was the only person with me in
the hospital. There was no one from my family just because of my father’s strict instructions. My father
does not allow my mother to meet me. He has taken away her phone and threatened to throw her out of
the house if she meets me. She underwent angioplasty surgery a year ago and has diabetes and yet, I
can’t take care of her.
I have a question for society. In spite of all the love and responsibility that I have shown towards my
family, should I be deprived of my right to talk to my mother and experience the love that she has for me
and my child?
-Kavya
--
Just because I am not a Baniya, I can’t marry a girl whom I love so much? I work as a content editor in
Noida. My colleague and I love each other since six months. Her father has said a firm ‘No’ to our
relationship. I am sick and tired of the caste system that is hurting our country. In what world are we
supposed to see the surname of the person before loving them? She is the best person I have met in life
and I don’t think I would ever find a better person.
I know I will not be able to marry her and I am not asking you guys to do anything for me. She is paying
the price for respecting her family. We don’t want to run away because that is not what we have been
taught but I really want to be with her. Yeh life bahut chhoti hai and I don’t want to spend it feeling
regretful. I don’t possibly know what you can do about this. I am just a simple man who loves a girl
sincerely and wants to be with her.
-Vinod
--
Ours is an inter-caste marriage. I was born into an orthodox Hindu Brahmin family that is financially
well-off. I fell in love with my classmate Pradeep who is a Menon. When Pradeep spoke to my parents
about us they told him they would never support our marriage. For five years after that, my mother
hardly ever spoke to me. I was the only child and I was going through hell.
After many attempts by my uncle to convince my parents, they finally agreed to a simple wedding
function at a temple. An occasion which should have been a celebration turned out to be very simple
with hardly ten attendees.
70
