THE POWER OF ONE

It is not everyday that one hears about someone marring himself in a wedding ceremony. But Kevin Nadal, a New Yorker, did just last year. He invited 32 of his close friends and got married to himself in a loft (which incidentally has been used as the location for one of the characters apartment in the well-known TV series, Sex and the City). What was Nadal thinking when he decided to publicly marry himself? The point the 27-year-old was trying to make is simple. He has been quoted as saying,"We always celebrate married life, why not single life? Single people are marginalised in our culture. People think you don't have the commitment to be in a relationship or you're too picky. Women have it tough. Heterosexual men, they get a free pass and are congratulated for being a 'player'. But for gay men and single women, there's a stigma because we don't have a partner." Singles across the world would agree wholeheartedly with Nadal. Infact, the success of Bridget Jones's Diary and its sequel and the spawning of the entire chick-lit genre in publishing comes from the fact that this "marginalised" section of modern society had found a 'voice'.

In a country like India, where getting married is de rigeur irrespective of gender, class, caste or religion, being single is considered to be a deadly malady, not to be contracted at any cost. Maybe a couple of Nadal-style weddings in India could help change a bit of that outdated mindset. After all we as a country have worshipped Ardhnarishwar, the half-man, half-woman avatar of Shiva for centuries now. There are other hidden and not so hidden benefits of this catching on as a trend. Apart from highlighting how singletons are being ignored as 'non-people' by the 'smug-marrieds', marrying oneself may solve a number of other issues like divorce, prewedding jitters, cheating spouses, interfering in-laws, dowry, forgotten birth and wedding anniversaries and such like. The world will also be able to get rid of complaining and nagging spouses forever, which can only be a good thing. Next time you are insensitive or boorish as spouses can often be to each other, remember that you will only have yourself to blame.