03 August,2009 02:23 PM IST | | Vivek Sabnis
Around 20 per cent IT professionals in the city want to know if they are physically and emotionally compatible with their partners before taking the plunge
Sameer and Sonam fell in love while working for an IT firm in the city. Both enjoyed each other's company and loved to spend time together. Marriage, according to their family and friends, was the next step. But not for them, as they felt it was safer to live-in together and analyse their relationship before taking the plunge. And, they are not alone. An increasing number of IT professionals in the city prefer to test their compatibility with their partner before deciding to settle down.
According to marriage counsellor Mangala Samant, nearly 20 per cent of IT professionals prefer to have a live-in relationship before getting married. Prolonged working, stressful lives and an inactive social life are some of the reasons for this trend. Samant, who has penned a booklet in Marathi on the subject, saidu00a0 that most prospective couples want to know if they are emotionally and physically compatible. She added that 10 per cent professionals from the medical, engineering and other sectors follow this trend.
IT professionals Raju and Rajashree (names changed)u00a0 lived-in for two years, but now, she is pregnant.
Rajashree told Raju that she will have the baby only if he marries her. "We do not want to rush into marriage, but the pregnancy created a problem. So, we went to Samant who told us that now that live-ins are legally accepted and marriage is not a compulsion," the couple told MiD DAY.
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Changing America
Bhushan Kelkar, patent engineer, IBM India, Bangalore, has spent many years in the US and feels trends are changing there as well. He says that while Indians are more open to live-ins now, Americans are becoming family-oriented, especially in these tough economic times. "They prefer marriage and security," he said. Atul Bhave, a resident of New Jersey, believes that Indians abroad get used to the concept of live-ins when they share an apartment. "It is an accident," he added.
"Today, career is everything for Indians. Marriage can wait, hence, they prefer live-ins," said Kelkar.
"Career has become their focus point, and rather than getting married, they acceptu00a0 live-in relationships as a part of their lives," he added.
