Miscellaneous - This Day That Age   

dated May 6, : Marriage Bill passed

The Lok Sabha on May 5 passed the Hindu Marriage Bill amidst acclamation from all sections of the House. The Bill now goes to the President for his assent. Prime Minister Nehru, speaking during the third reading of the Bill, paid a high tribute to the Indian womanhood of today as well as of the past and said, "I can say with considerable confidence, expressing my own faith, that Indian womanhood is something of which I am proud." He said he supported the Bill because "it is a first attempt to improve the conditions of society and to shake up the rigid structure. If you put too much of legal constraint on society, I am convinced that the result will be the breaking up of society." Rebutting the critics' viewpoint that the introduction of the provision relating to divorce in the Bill would "let loose licentiousness in society," Mr. Nehru said it was "fantastic without any basis. " The condition of Indian woman, especially in the higher classes, was far worse today and therefore he wanted it to be improved. Political and economic independence had to be integrated with social independence. With reference to the point made earlier by the Hindu Mahasabha leader, Mr. N.C. Chatterjee, that Hindu marriage was sacramental, Mr. Nehru asked, "What is sacrament exactly? What does it mean? Someone has said it has a certain religious significance. Hindu marriage is a religious ceremony. Nobody denies it. But this does not mean to tie people together, bite each other, hate each other and make life hell for each other. In all human relationships there should be this element of sacrament involved, not only in the relationship between husband and wife but in other relations as well."

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