When Oscar Wilde said that divorces are made in heaven, there was more than an iota of truth in what he was saying. An ideal marriage seems to have become a rarity nowadays. All the sensational stories of Hollywood divorces make for great reading in the tabloids.
Lately the much lauded family values of the Indians seem to have landed quite a few hits with marriages going haywire. One of the reasons for such fragmented matrimony (other than the clichéd incompatibility) is the extra-marital affair. Contrary to popular opinion however, extra marital affairs have always existed in Indian society.
Take a peek into Indian myth and you will realize that frolicking outside the confines of marriage was practiced even by our gods. Take the romance between Radha and Krishna which has been made the subject matter for numerous songs, plays and stories in folklore. India celebrates this flamboyant love affair with great devotion. Herein lays the greatest paradox which is India! While extra-marital sex is looked upon with the greatest disapproval, it is also celebrated within the religious life of the country.
The starting point of this blatant dichotomy lies in the fact that sexual repression is very high in India. Sex is still a taboo language and people in general, seem to hate talking about it. Though that trend seems to be changing, a majority of the population is still stuck in that age old mental block. The point is that a problem cannot be solved by locking it behind closed doors. No wonder then, that sexual crimes as well as sexually deviant behavior is on the rise.
Sexual repression leads to a stage where an individual will seek to satisfy his desire through the unhealthiest of means. Alternately, a lot of young people feel that forced monogamy through arranged marriages still exist in the country and such arrangements can be one of the probable causes of extramarital relationships in society. A conversation with a friend once revealed quite a sordid story. There are these little neighborhoods where all the men have had an extramarital affair with one particular woman in the locality. All these men incidentally happen to be middle-aged and so-called happily married with children!
So many extramarital relationships have received an amazing amount of publicity in the country. Who can forget the famous Silsila romance of Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha? It created quite an uproar during it’s time.
Detective agencies all over the country are doing brisk business. An increasing number of couples are hiring private detectives to keep track of what their spouses are doing. Yes, it is just as you picture. Imagine a man walking furtively across the street and then suddenly jumping into a taxi and saying, “follow that car!”