Smita Diwan
Single Life: I don’t need a man in my life to make me happy.
Why? Well, let’s take a look at my checklist, shall we?
• Education – Checked
• Carrier – Checked
• Amazing Job – Checked
• House – Checked
• Own Car – Checked
Marriage – Haven’t found the right one
Kids – No question of kids, for I don’t want them at this point in time, married or not.
Oh, wait a minute. What? You have the best of everything and you are still single? That’s the question that women who are single and living a happy life in the society often asked.
A friend recently complained to me, “It’s very annoying to answer ‘You just haven’t found the one’.” But the truth is these single women, including my friend, are as happy as you and me.
“Oh it’s just awesome! I am 42 and am single. Never married or did not have and no children. One of the best parts of being single is you can travel the world alone. Don’t waste your life thinking that you are alone. I have traveled the world and made friends in every country. I don’t think there is any need to get married. Life is about choices, and I have made this choice and I am a happy person,” says, Puja, entrepreneur and world traveler.
35-year-old Nisha works in an IT firm in Mumbai from past 9 years. She says, “I left my family and moved to Bangalore with my husband. It was a terrible marriage. I was treated like a maid. Cleaning, sweeping floor and cooking, washing clothes and going to work. I had no life. So, I took the decision of ending my married life marriage.” Nisha is now single living in Mumbai with her parents. She got promoted in her job and traveled to Dubai and Japan for work. “Being married does not mean you have fulfilled your life,” she says tells us.
“Oh, I haven’t found the right man yet. Does that bother anyone? I am seeing so many friends around me struggling in their relationship. I am in no hurry to jump in just because I am 33,” says Kavya, a lawyer.
According to a leading publication, the Indian woman without a cohort was once considered a social anomaly. Now, she’s in the company of around 73 million others – unmarried, divorced, widowed, and separated – who constitute 21% of India’s 353 million women above the age of 20. But the statistic that’s striking is 40% – that’s how much the population of single women has grown according to the latest census data.
“You can’t hurry marriage just like you can’t hurry love. Today I am 32, unmarried, done academics in India and living in France. I am a global citizen and love the fact that my parents supported me throughout my life. I don’t need a man to make me happy.” says, Shruti Agrawal, a computer engineer.
“Married people are on training wheels. Singles are riding the bikes for grown-ups.” says, BellaDePaulo author of Singled Out.
Well, to end things, we’re not trying to say that doesn’t mean that married people are unhappy. Just that a woman choosing the single life is okay too. You can choose to be happy no matter what your status is single, in a relationship or married.
