Do you think marriage as a sacrament is losing its value in Modern India?

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. 

The 9th Month for the Leader

August ends at midnight. September will be the 9th month. Let me narrate a short story.

There was a warrior, old and fragile. With all his lost glories and the meaning of life, he lived. But there was a ray of hope which made him warm even in the coldest of winters. The tree next to his house have given him an analogy of life which deemed so uncertain. The branches and the fruits which the tree bore was like the generation seeded by him. But unlike the tree he lost the fighting spirit.

He felt like a wounded animal, he was defeated whether it be in circles or in squares. Until, he decided to do the unimaginable. He poured mitti ka tel all over his body and set himself on fire. Yes, we read it right, he self immolated himself. What was ailing him? Regrets and more regrets and also Winter was coming bringing along with her all the coldness and sadness. 

NSSB Nagaland: The End of the Backdoor Appointment Era?

Approximately 50k aspirants sat for the historic, ‘Combined Staff Recruitment Examination 2022’, conducted by Nagaland Staff Selection Board, as recorded by the local newspapers in Nagaland. It was the first time the CSRE was conducted under NSSB, which is in the lines of SSC. The number of posts was 610 out of which few of them were for specialized candidates like confectionary, hairdressing fashion designing, plumber, electrician etc. It was a golden opportunity for the educated unemployed youths of Nagaland who had invested their precious years seeking for government jobs but was not successful in their endeavors due to various reasons. One of the reasons could be lack of advertisement for the vacant posts in various governmental departments of Nagaland. Many a times, these vacant posts are filled by candidates on the grounds of nepotism and favouritism shown by the top-notch executives, whether it be permanent or political executives. This is not hearsay as there have been agitations about backdoor appointments in the state. Such unethical appointments deprive the deserving candidates from securing a government job.

Due to all the politics involve around securing a government job, some may say, why waste your time and energy in pursuing government jobs, try private sector jobs. True, private sectors job is an alternative for government job, but we, Naga youths, if not all then at least the majority give government job more priority. And there is nothing wrong in doing so, everyone has different approach to life, have different personality, have different level of energy and creativity and have different preferences of what their working environment should be. Moreover, capital generates capital, not everyone is blessed to be born in a rich family to back up a startup and acquiring loan is not easy. Hence, preference of government jobs over private sector jobs is justified,

Coming back to NSSB, Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has done a remarkable job in making NSSB a reality. Imagine, 610 falling under ‘questionable appointment’ category if NSSB had not conducted the CSRE. I hope in coming years too, the exam will be conducted in a free and fair manner making the deserving ones get the jobs they deserve. Lastly, let us not make fun of people who prepares for various competitive exams conducted by the government but are not successful in clearing any; it is more painful for the aspirants than for the people who never sat for any of the competitive exams. Why sprinkle salt to their wounds! At the same time, let us encourage one another to have a Plan B to make our lives more balance when our Plan A fails.