Yes, this was one of the questions in General Studies Paper 1, UPSC CSE Mains. Although I didn't sit for the exam but it caught my attention when some of the X ( Twitter) users highlighted the typo error. UPSC used the word, 'loosing'. Nevertheless, 'loosing' too makes sense to an extend. Anyway, I am excited to break down this question. I know my answer will have flaws but UPSC won't be marking it so I am cool!
Marriage is considered as a sacred institution, if not by an individual then at least by the religions of the world. And to ask, what determines a successful marriage ? It's the stability of that marriage. Stability in a narrower sense might mean, whether the marriage stood the test of time and did not end in separation or divorce. Going by the statistics, the divorce rate in India is only 1% ,which in a way indicates, the country still holds the importance to the institution of marriage. However, we really don't know what all sacrifices were or are being made by one of the couple or the couple to make it work. People often stay in an unhappy marriage just for the sake of the family or to avoid the brutal judgements from the society. Marriage should be an individual's choice and separation too should be an individual's choice with certain ethical or legal conditions applied. However, ironically, the negative perception of the people towards divorce or separation in our country shows our society still adheres to the sacrament of marriage.
From the slice, it might look the country is losing the sacrament of marriage, partly due to articles from celebrity gossip columns or encountering incidents which might make us doubt the authenticity of the institution but if we look at the bigger picture, and question the general perception then we might agree the relevance and the sacrament of marriage still exist in India and its grip is still strong.
