Preventing the Misuse of Arya Samaj
One of the nobler institutions to have been created for the purpose of ameliorating the lives of people from the bonds of social orthodoxy-the Arya Samaj marriage-seems to have developed some kind of social anathema around it. For the very society that it sought to serve its goods, it is now getting its infamy from that very society. Has the delivery of goods turned full circle and the institution got entwined into its own created vices? Has there been a decline in the social acceptance of this institution to a greater degree now than at any time before?
These are some of the disturbing questions which the present day institution of Arya Samaj marriage seems to be facing and getting afflicted with. Quite commonly, it is considered to be the perfect place for the elopers to get wed. After attaining the marriageable age, the to-be couples consider this as a good alternative to circumvent their parental and societal considerations to such an extent that even informing them is not deemed to be necessary. For the crooked people, who simply cheat on their to-be life partners by misleading them into the bond of marriages on false promises, Arya Samaj temple seems to be becoming a perfect place for carrying out their wrongful intentions.
There have been many such instances where the loopholes in the legal and administrative structure of this otherwise noble institution have been misused for marrying in a wrongful and illegal way, causing a lot of social chaos and disharmony. This now seems to be undercutting at the very roots of social fabric which it had painstakingly created for over a century. A series of measures, aimed at ridding this institution of its vices are being regularly taken by the courts with reformist zeal. Measures, such as giving at least a week time between the filing of application and the actual solemnizing of marriage, duly informing the parents of both parties in that time frame, sending out information of marriage to the senior district authorities, seeking objections to marriage from various quarters, regulating the conduct of marriage in temples by asking them to get duly registered and by issuing clarifications in public interest from time to time, have been undertaken to ensure that the fundamentals of this institutions are not compromised.
Like the other long established institutions which need to be reformed from time to time with the changing times and preventing the development of vices, reformations are being carried out episodically in this institution as well with the intervention of courts, government and society at large.
These are some of the disturbing questions which the present day institution of Arya Samaj marriage seems to be facing and getting afflicted with. Quite commonly, it is considered to be the perfect place for the elopers to get wed. After attaining the marriageable age, the to-be couples consider this as a good alternative to circumvent their parental and societal considerations to such an extent that even informing them is not deemed to be necessary. For the crooked people, who simply cheat on their to-be life partners by misleading them into the bond of marriages on false promises, Arya Samaj temple seems to be becoming a perfect place for carrying out their wrongful intentions.
There have been many such instances where the loopholes in the legal and administrative structure of this otherwise noble institution have been misused for marrying in a wrongful and illegal way, causing a lot of social chaos and disharmony. This now seems to be undercutting at the very roots of social fabric which it had painstakingly created for over a century. A series of measures, aimed at ridding this institution of its vices are being regularly taken by the courts with reformist zeal. Measures, such as giving at least a week time between the filing of application and the actual solemnizing of marriage, duly informing the parents of both parties in that time frame, sending out information of marriage to the senior district authorities, seeking objections to marriage from various quarters, regulating the conduct of marriage in temples by asking them to get duly registered and by issuing clarifications in public interest from time to time, have been undertaken to ensure that the fundamentals of this institutions are not compromised.
Like the other long established institutions which need to be reformed from time to time with the changing times and preventing the development of vices, reformations are being carried out episodically in this institution as well with the intervention of courts, government and society at large.