The trend these days is to marry outside one’s caste. In earlier days, marriages were strictly within one’s own caste, but young people now are falling in love irrespective of which caste they belong to. In some rare cases also, parents do agree to their child marrying a person of another caste in case they feel the person is of good social standing.
No doubt, even now there are some who prefer marrying within their own caste as they feel that it is a better option. Many elders in the family adhere to this latter opinion, as they feel they have the wisdom and knowledge about married life, and prefer that the youngsters are not impulsive in their decisions by marrying someone outside their caste.
The question that arises in the mind of a youngster is why the elders insist on marrying within the caste. “Love is blind” as they say and when a youngsters meets a partner that he or she feels is right for him or her in terms of building up a relationship, caste is not the factor then.
Nevertheless, some prefer to fall in love with a person of their own caste perhaps because of their conditioned upbringing or perhaps they prefer to do so.
Solutions and Precautions for Inter Caste Marriage Problems
Is inter caste marriage a good option? Does one face problems by getting into one?
By observing the disadvantages of inter caste problems one will be in a better position whether one should go in for it or not. Let us study them to come to a conclusion whether one must go in for it or not.
What are the Inter Caste Marriage Problems?
- Adjustments may be difficult as each partner in the relationship has grown up with a different set of attitudes and values
- Environmental issues may arise in the upbringing of respective couples which could affect their relationship
- Parents of the couples may have their views about their caste and might interfere in the marital affairs of the couple
- Each partner may feel his or her caste may be more superior
- Language barriers can be there as the language spoken may be influenced by certain dialects or utterances, which perhaps the other couple may decide to make fun of it
- Lifestyles may be different as, naturally, the parents belong to different castes which have their own set of values on how a person has to live. Lifestyles vary also according to economic conditions
- Also the couples may not be patient with each other as their outlook towards life may differ
- During an argument caste issue may flare up and that could sour the relationship
- The marriage may breakdown on account of caste ego issues
- Children face problems as often those belonging to the upper caste may not want to marry an offspring of lower caste. In other words, even if one of the spouse is of upper caste, it may be difficult to marry his or her child in upper caste family on account of the stigma attached to a particular caste
- Some couples prefer to change their religion for social acceptance
What are the Solutions for Inter Caste Marriage Problems?
- Family guidance can help
- The couples want to show to their parents that inter caste marriages do work
- Professional counseling can help
- True love can be overcome by caste differences
- To keep a progressive approach towards marriage and not allow caste issues to interfere in the relationship
- To seek the opinion of those who also had an inter caste marriage and have made a success of it
- To overcome caste barriers, whether major or minor
Marrying within one’s caste is preferred as it is easy to understand one’s partner and adjust accordingly. On the other hand, these days young people are falling in love and marrying a person outside their caste. When one is in love, one does not see in terms of caste. For a person in love, the partner is somebody to care for and feel for; caste is not a criteria.
In the West, caste is not an issue as it does not exist; but in the some of the Eastern countries, it is a major issue. In some remote villages of Third world countries like India, marrying outside one’s caste is a taboo and can lead to caste feuds. In cities of India the scenario is different as young people are marrying irrespective of caste differences. It is but obvious that marrying within one’s caste is certainly a more convenient option; nevertheless, people do select partners who do not belong to their caste.
