The following is a speech I delivered at the elocution competition of the Bombay Chartered Accountants Societys' annual meet -
You go to school, 
You get married,
You have children,
You earn money,
Earn more money,
You retire,
And you die.
This is how our lives look like at the end of it all.
Play it safe, keep it simple, don’t question existing logic, be morally correct – that is what most of us have been told to do…making our lives dull and boring…
Respected judges, ladies and gentlemen, I Shivendra Dwivedi am here to take you now for a roller coaster ride in the world of marriages and live in relationships.
Let us begin with understanding the unique ‘institution’ of marriage. Marriage is not only a camouflage by which a society bequeaths legitimacy to a sexual relationship, but more importantly it is the foundation stone on which the edifice of a family is built.
While women stood shoulder to shoulder with men for most of human history, they were denied the right to express, explore and bloom.
It is this patriarchal society which perceives women as objects having a shelf life of not more than 30 years, while men are perceived as wine – the older they grow, the better they taste!
The convenient outcome of this thought process was that the society came up with an insurance policy for women called …. Marriage
Marriages gave people security, social acceptance and most of all - the freedom to concentrate on higher things in life.
However, today marriages are just like a bank account – YOU PUT IT IN, YOU TAKE IT OUT, YOU LOSE INTEREST.
It is horrendous to know that the amount of undesired sex endured by women in marriage is greater than in prostitution.
Close to 60 percent of married men and women have reportedly cheated on their spouse some time or the other.
The youth of today have a question – when we can vote out governments every 5 years, when we can change our jobs whenever we like…why do we have to endure the ‘emotional attyachar’ of being with the same person all our lives..
Here comes live in relationships to the rescue … which is an arrangement where in a couple agrees to stay together without the license of a wedlock.
The time has come to end the license raj in personal relationships. The society and the government have no business to enter into people’s bedrooms.
Live in relationships are for the bold, not the timid, for the adventurous, not the lethargic, for the evolved and not the orthodox.
Hold on….is it all so hunky-dory as it seems…?? it is ALWAYS…ALWAYS easier said than done.
What about the children that are born out of a live in relationship. Don’t such children also have a right over the love and affection of both their parents?
Could you have been the person that you are today had your parents not been married?
Would you ever accept your own parents being in multiple relationships and bringing new moms and dads every now and then??
However, it is entirely unjustified for the society to label live in couples as being of loose moral character. It is high time we came over our favourite pastime of western culture bashing and recognize the need of various levels of commitment in personal relationships…just as a person can choose to carry on his business via a company, a partnership, a joint venture or a LIMITED LIABILITY PARTNERSHIP.
Last but not the least, even the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, by banning articleship transfers has effectively married off we poor articled assistants to their principals!
I shall end with the following words –
Joy is in the process – not in its culmination, pleasure is in the journey – not in the destination, THE THRILL IS IN COURTSHIP AND NOT IN CONSUMMATION!!!
Thank You
