BENGALURU: While new-age couples feel that being in a live-in relationship is the best way to understand their partner before getting married, several of them have been seeking counselling sessions while being in such an arrangement. Counsellors in the city have also found some couples cohabiting for time pass, before marrying a different partner.
The helpline, Parihar Vanitha Sahayavani handles more than 10 couples a month seeking counselling. “Almost 90% of the live-in relationships that we see do not work out. Some result in cheating after promising to marry, while others ask for counselling on whether they should get married considering their differences such as religion,” said Rani Shetty, head of Parihar.
CE was able to take a seat at one of the counselling sessions of a couple who had been in a relationship for two years before they decided to rent an apartment for eight months at HSR Layout. While both come from different religious backgrounds, the man and the woman agreed that living together made them realise their differences even better. “After staying together, issues like our background and our families’ preferences started becoming talking points. Lack of respect, which led to physical altercations, made me feel that this relationship needs to end,” said 26-year-old Shreya (name changed). Her partner, however, wanted to be in the relationship, despite their differences. “We decided to seek counselling to sort out our differences. For now, we have decided to take some time apart and decide if this is what we really want,” said Karthik (name changed), an IT professional in the city.
In another incident, a former couple who had been in a live-in relationship, decided to part ways as the girl married a partner chosen by her family. “The boy had not moved on and was harassing both the girl and her current husband. They have now been called for counselling on how to deal with the issue,” said Shetty.
Marriage counsellor Meera Ravi said cultural pressure adds to live-in relationships. “There needs to be some clarity on what they want and what they don’t want in a relationship. There are certain positive elements in this kind of relationship, provided the couple uses their time to get to know each other,” she said.
