Hyderabad: Indications of the disintegration of the marriage system in India, a country renowned for its culture and traditions, is becoming a cause for alarm. While foreigners look up to our customs, our countrymen are blindly aping the western culture. Despite being an agrarian country, we have transitioned from joint to nuclear family system, which is now quickly turning into single-parent or worse, broken family system, thanks to the rise in extramarital affairs. It is unfortunate to see people passing over their blood ties for these dalliances.
Extra conjugal relations are posing a serious threat to society. The Madras High Court commented that such secretive affairs are the basis for many heinous crimes including murder and abduction. According to a recent report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), love affairs and extramarital relations were the second biggest reason behind murders between 2001 and 2017. There are a number of factors that contribute to such illicit affairs. Some people get married quite young and experience a certain dissatisfaction of having missed out on the fun. Physical and emotional weaknesses, financial insecurities, changing aspirations and preferences, differences and incompatibility with the current partner, excitement and boredom are some of the reasons people indulge in adultery.
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Personal and financial difficulties often lead people astray. Some of them take the illicit liaison way to get ahead in their careers. Pornography and erotic literature are influencing people’s choices. Internet friendships have given rise to the new kind of infidelity. Except for casual conversations, nobody has time for each other in many households. Consequent frail family bonds are pushing people to tread the path of unfamiliar relationships.
The trend is more prevalent in metropolitan cities. According to the NCRB data, extramarital affairs led to 28 murders in Chennai alone in the past few months. In Mangalagiri (Guntur district), a man killed his younger brother over one such illicit relationship. In yet another incident in Sattenapalli, a woman along with her paramour murdered her 9-year-old son. The case of a Nagarkurnool woman who tried to pass her lover off as murdered husband has shocked many.
Extra conjugal affairs bring temporary happiness at the cost of permanent damage to the family. It is impossible to deal with the stress of hiding an illicit affair from the public eye. Children are the most negatively impacted in the process. It has been scientifically proven that kids from dysfunctional families grow up to be insecure and apathetic adults. Parents’ dalliances disrupt children’s emotional well-being, making them mentally unstable. These traits put kids at the highest risk for drug addiction and other vices.
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According to a survey by the New York University, extramarital affairs make women prone to cardiovascular ailments, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. When choosing partners for their children, parents must be careful to avoid mismatching temperaments. Couples must seek the advice of a relationship counsellor or trusted elders in case of marital conflicts. Parents must realize that their failing marriage could set a bad example for their kids and mend their ways accordingly. The government must set up adequate mental health and family counselling centres with experienced counsellors. These measures can control the incidence of crimes due to illicit affairs.
