An After Thought, Parenting & Relationships

These Women Chose Not to Keep Karva Chauth Fast After Years of Doing It. Their Reasons Speak Volumes!

In a few days from now one of the most celebrated festivals of the husband-wife relationship, ‘Karwa Chauth’ will be observed. On this day the married women especially from North India keep no food, no water fast and pray for the long lives of their husbands. Over the years, the influence of Bollywood movies and numerous brand advertisement campaigns made around this festival has further popularized the concept of keeping this fast.

So much so that most Indian newlywed, love-stricken girls look forward to keeping this fast for their dear husbands. At the same time, debates related to this ritual between the so-called feminist & anti-feminist groups are also trending. Being married, I felt the urge to get close and personal with this topic someday. 

I went ahead to question few ladies who had started to keep Karwa Chauth fast on their own wish in the early years of marriage but eventually stopped to observe this tradition. The reason was something nobody wanted to talk about or had lame excuses to say. Even for these modern women, talking about this or their marriage with anybody meant spilling the beans of husband-wife behind the door matters. So they simply chose to decide against keeping the fast rather than speaking up!

After little persistence what they spoke is a surprising revelation about the dynamics in modern Indian husband & wife relationships!

#1 She is young, attractive and works for an MNC in Delhi-NCR. Surbhi (name changed) belongs to a Punjabi background where Karva Chauth is celebrated with all pomp and show. She married an equally talented boy from Bangalore. Theirs was a love marriage and everything was hunky-dory initially. Karwa Chauth is a tradition that Surbhi had seen her mother and other aunts observe and celebrate with great fervour. Surely this had to be a part of her married life too.

On this note, she started to keep the fast, for a year or two her husband Dinesh felt little out of place yet romantic about this ‘fast’ concept. However, later on, Surbhi started to feel that this day or her abstinence didn’t really bother him much. After much pondering, she also understood that it was not just this that Dinesh had not been caring about. But he had got much more involved in his own space and off-course social media. She tried to gain back his attention on her but it failed to an annoying extent. So much so that she stopped keeping this fast.

#2 The initial years for Neha too were pretty much the same as Surbhi. She and Akash are both software engineers with different IT MNCs. Both earn almost equivalent salaries and soon they are supposed to get promoted both in their professional lives and personal lives (have a baby). For a year or two, the fast was a mushy romantic ritual with Akash. But slowly he started to get irritated and tagged it as a ‘Superstition’.

Last year, when Neha mentioned the fast coming, this irritation became evident to her. The way Akash spoke was disrespectful. Neha first thought it to be a bad day at work or something but later she realized there was something more than just this tradition that was troubling Akash. She named Akash’s annoyance as his male ego and not being able to cope with the equality in varied facets of their relationship. ‘Superstition’ was just the word to pull her down. This left this independent working woman disillusioned to such an extent that she stopped keeping this fast.

Does romance in marriage matters? 
 karwa chauth why not to do
Does romance in marriage matters?

#3 Aarti, a girl from Kanpur had an arranged marriage with Vikas who worked in Delhi. She like any other girl had dreams of a wholesome married life with lots of mushy romance in it. Hardly a month or so after her marriage, Karwa Chauth day arrived and she fasted for the long, prosperous life of Vikas. But this very day opened her eyes to the rude fact about her new life.

She discovered Vikas, whom she had thought to be the man of her dreams wasn’t romantic enough about this ritual or anything in general. On the contrary, Aarti had dreams of celebrating this day in a very romantic way. Post the first Karwa Chauth fast, she chose not to observe it and burden down herself from inside with unfulfilling expectations. The void created in the heart due to the absence of romance still remains unaddressed, though. Even today she continues to live with a man whose wavelength doesn’t seem to match with hers.

karwa chauth why not to do
Why not to do Karwa Chauth?

#4 “You want a gift babe, then tell me I will give you like that only don’t keep this stupid fast.”

These sentences were exasperating for Rhea. Each year, before Karwa Chauth day arrived, she had to hear all or some of these seemingly humorous statements said by her husband. She really wanted to follow this tradition and make Mihir, her husband, feel special. But every time, Mihir would make her feel small by saying these words. ‘Extortion’ word being the most demeaning one which let Rhea discontinue observing Karwa Chauth.

The above revelations shook me from within and forced me to rethink Marriage as a ‘bond of love’. Surely the relationships have become far more complex and dynamic with the changing times. I guess women don’t need their husbands to be out and out metro-sexual; they simply want their husbands to be more involved mentally & emotionally. Time for both men & women to balance this out, isn’t it?

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Feature Photo Source: http://www.punjabigraphics.com/images/157/Karva-Chauth-Expressions-Of-Love-Beautiful-Lady-Picture.jpg 

(15) Comments

  1. These traditions were started to suppress women and at time when a man could remarry but not a woman. Of course, unfortunately in the 21st century too such one sided treatment to women is a harsh reality in India. The sooner such unfair practices and discriminatory traditions end, the better.

    1. Dr. Surbhi Prapanna says:

      Personally It all depends on individual choices and decisions to celebrate a festival and keeping a fast or not. I feel nowadays karwa chouth has become more an occasion to show off rather than celebrate the true meaning of festival but at the end it is all differ from person to person. Nice write up.

  2. Such traditions are part of our culture. Nowadays some women do it out of belief and some out of their love but the choice should always be theirs….

  3. I think it’s a personal choice of couple if they want to follow this tradition. And it’s absolutely fine for a girl does not want to be fasting for any health or other reasons.

  4. Can’t agree more on this, I have seen women in my social circle where they left to observe fast for the same reasons. You have well pointed the facts of society and as a woman I find it absolutely correct move.

  5. Very nice article. Its all about ones intent.

  6. I agree it’s a personal choice and had I been in any of the 4 girls above situations I would have done the same buddy.

  7. For me, it’s not a compulsion to observe the KarvaChauth fast. The rituals can be decided by the couple on mutual understanding.

    1. Agreed but the women I wrote about their stories delve into wanting a deeper involvement and mutual respect for their respective spouses.

  8. You summed it up so well. Emotional bond between bond is most important and thats what a women is looking at the end of the day.

  9. Pratibha says:

    Woah that’s such a unique take on karwa chauth , an amazing writeup

  10. I believe fasting or not during karwa chauth is one’s own choice. But I do agree, for any relation to work out, there has to be mutual respect, love and trust

  11. This is do unique thought and I completely adore you.
    Beautiful post I have today..

  12. Woow that’s really a very nice msg Ard Karwa Chawth

  13. sandhya says:

    Karwa chauth is a celebration of couple and family. however if the couple don’t have romance, respect and love between them, half the importance is lost, And continuing it as the ritual or because of family or society is not necessary at all.

    any which ways we pray for family prosperity every day

    any ritual is fruitful only with inner peace, if its not there its better to drop it .

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