“Got a job, lost relationships, the one who taught me became a stranger.”
Marriage has now taken refuge in selfishness and independence instead of sacrifice and dedication. Many cases are coming to light where the husband educated the wife, got her a job, but as soon as she became self-dependent, she rejected the husband. This modern thinking is breaking relationships. Education and law are giving rights to women, but taking them away from responsibilities. Empowerment is incomplete until it teaches respect for relationships. Society should now raise its voice against such a selfish attitude, which is causing the breakdown of families.
There was a time when the relationship of husband and wife was a symbol of sacrifice, love, and mutual dedication. Marriage was not just a social contract, but was considered a deep emotional and spiritual journey. But today’s modernity, education, and the so-called “rights consciousness” have thrown this sacred relationship into the furnace of selfishness. Today, there is concern over the rapidly increasing number of cases in the country where a husband works hard for years, does labour work, and educates his wife, gives wings to her dreams, and as soon as she gets a government job, she asks the same husband: “Who are you?”
This question is not being asked of a man alone; this question is being asked of the entire sacrifice that was made to maintain a relationship. This question is also on the system that gave the right to education, but did not teach responsibility. This question is also on the law, which gave protection to women, but did not try to teach them the morality of maintaining relationships.
Along with modern education, another ideology has taken deep roots in the society — “put yourself first”, “relationships are a burden”, “freedom means being free from any bondage”. This thinking is teaching, especially women, that marriage, husband, and family are just a social formality that can be discarded if needed. And when education, law, and a section of the society promote this thinking, the result is — homes break, trust shatters, and men’s sacrifice becomes a joke.
A poor husband who carried bricks, worked as a daily wage labourer to educate his wife, filled her form, paid her fees, dropped her off at the examination centre, distributed sweets to her after she got selected – when the same husband stands at the door, the wife says – “I don’t need you anymore.” This sentence is not just words; it is the death of the struggle in which relationships breathed. This is the face of modernity, which shines but is hollow from within.
If a wife rejects her husband without any reason, without any harassment, just because he has got a job, then this is neither empowerment nor freedom – this is a social crime. This is the murder of those values that are the foundation of Indian society. It is important to make it clear here that we are not talking about those women who are harassed, exploited, or who need protection. We are talking about those cases where a wife leaves her husband by misusing the law and rights, only because she has become financially independent.
The protection that the law has given to women is necessary and should be there, but that protection is sacred only as long as it is used and not misused. Today, the number of such incidents is increasing in society where women have sent not only their husbands but also their families to jail by making false allegations, harassed them mentally, and ruined them financially. Is this the family face of “New India”?
When a girl says, “Now I earn, I don’t need anyone”, it is not independence, it is narcissism. Does self-reliance mean abandoning relationships? Does the value of love and sacrifice become zero as soon as one gets a job? Why is it not explained that a strong woman keeps her nest safe even during her flight, and does not burn it as soon as she flies away?
The purpose of education is not only to get a job but also to bring maturity in thinking. Unfortunately, today’s education has not given this maturity, but in many cases has given rise to self-centred thinking. If self-reliance turns into selfishness, then it becomes a threat to society. If a woman runs away from her relationships after studies, then it raises a question mark on that education, on that thinking, and on that law which allows her to do this.
Many times, when a wife leaves her husband, society remains silent. Women consider it their right, and men do not even have a say. If a husband says, “I educated her, raised her, made her career”, he is told, “She did not do you any favour, she is independent now.” But when a woman moves forward by sacrificing her husband, does that sacrifice not have any value? Doesn’t she have any emotional recognition?
This mindset has now reached the courts. There are thousands of cases pending in the courts where men are fighting for their marital rights, yearning to meet their children, and carrying the burden of a relationship that exists only on paper for years. They can neither get a divorce nor start a new life, and neither does society understand their suffering.
In many cases, educated women have extramarital affairs, distance themselves from their husbands, and then hide behind legal protection. When someone questions such matters, he is called “anti-women”, “narrow-minded”, or “patriarchal”. But does a society not have the right to listen to the voice of a man who protects relationships?
If this mindset continues, the institution of marriage will be hollowed out in the coming years. Men will fear marriage, families will break, and walls of mistrust will be erected in society. Women must understand that they are not only responsible for getting a job, but also for maintaining relationships. When a husband pays your fees, gets you coaching, and encourages you, then he is not just a husband, but a guide, a helper, a mentor. And when you leave him after achieving success, you reject not just a person, but a trust.
This society can no longer tolerate false cases, superficial freedom, and relationships broken in the name of selfishness. Now, the time has come to add moral values to education, bring balance in laws, and give the message to society that empowerment does not mean running away from responsibility, but fulfilling it honestly.
In relationships, duties are as important as rights. True empowerment is that which does not break relationships but strengthens them. Because if a wife asks her husband as soon as he gets a job, “Who are you?” – then it is not only the husband’s defeat, but the entire society’s defeat.
