Female legal age of marriage being raised from 18 to 21 years, tele-celebs react!

The government wants to raise the legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years, and celebrities have strong opinions on it. #AapkiNazronNeSamjha actor #VijayendraKumeria – It’s a good decision. I see it from the point of view of education. The chances of higher education for women will increase as they won’t get engrossed in the married life and household routine that generally affect their opportunities to grow academically in most cases. The maturity level and decision-making power would also be better in this case. I am very welcoming of this thought. I see society in a better position in the future if this decision gets implemented, provided the government makes sure that once the law is passed, it is enforced properly.

Tera Yaar Hoon Main and Balika Vadhu 2 actor Sagar Parekh – It’s a great news to raise the legal age to 21. It would not really affect the society because I think whether it is rural or urban areas, the advancement of technology and network availability, people are more focused towards educating their girls and women and making them independent. Before it is implemented, people are already practicing this. Girls are very much independent and sure about when they want to get married. I would not say that every part of country is practicing this but it is better than what it used to be 10 years ago. I am glad about it and looking at the positive side. This decision will affect those areas where people are still practicing child marriages and getting girls married without their concern.

Kawach actress Pranitaa Pandit – It’s an amazing news because usually, every decision has a plus and a minus but I don’t see a minus in this particular decision. There is a whole segment of our society that actually waits for girls to turn 18 and then get them married so that they can free themselves from their responsibilities. Somewhere they don’t want to help educating women because they don’t feel that they are going to be enough support for their family. By this decision, I think the girls will get that extra chance to pursue their dreams to work or study, whatever they wish for. Be it education or work, they will get an opportunity to live life on their terms and conditions and make the right choice for their future. When we are 18, we are still under the guidance of our parents and we are not out in the open world. Those 3-4 years are crucial for every human being to learn, grow and evolve. I think through this decision there would not be many young moms. Eventually, if mom is not educated, the child being educated is very different, therefore maturity is very important.

Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai actress Pragati Mehra – The government still has to control the minimum age for marriage of girls through laws despite India getting independence in 1947. In my opinion, it doesn’t read very highly of us as a society that believes in education and common sense or holds human rights of every individual irrespective of their gender in high esteem. Having said that, if we as society can only function if there is a ‘law’ then in that perspective it’s a welcome move as this law shall surely contain the menace of child marriage that is still prevalent in our country. Maybe the fear of law will force a large chunk of people to abstain from getting their children married. Another aspect though is that we trust an 18-year-old to be smart enough to choose a government with voting rights, but not smart enough to choose their life partner just yet! So it’s bizarre and brilliant both. Depending on what issue we are dealing with – trying to contain child marriage and hence, saving a whole lot from abuse and exploitation, safeguarding human right or letting people vote at 18 but drink and marry only at 21.

Rakshabandhan: Rasaal Apne Bhai Ki Dhaal actress Nyrraa M Banerji – I feel the age is too early to get married. There is so much to explore and learn in life than getting married early. However, it’s a personal choice.

Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 2 actress Vaishalee Thakkar – Well it definitely works for girls who live in smaller cites or are from the orthodox families who are ambitious, who want to study, work and be independent. It definitely gives them the breather and time to set their priorities because due to legality early forceful marriages can be avoided

Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain actor Saanand Verma – In our country, people have the mentality that as soon as a girl turns 16-17, they should get married so that the family is free from their responsibilities. The decision to make the marriageable age from 18 to 21 is the right step as because of this girls can focus on their studies and can become independent. Through this decision it will be a benefit for our society to change their mentality. Apart from this when legal age is delayed, there would be a control in the population too because when girls used to get married they used to turn moms by the age of 19.

Fidaai actor and model Ranaksh Rana -This decision brings us closer to gender equality and I applaud that. We have to be realistic though and focus on equity more than equality. And that needs long term planning, sensitisation, awareness creation and education. Society is made of individuals and I believe that every individual is accountable to act responsibly and spread awareness.

Ziddi Dil Maane Na actor Aditya Deshmukh – I think it is a wonderful thing because things are different today compared to the past. Now women are treated equally and they can pursue their careers. With this decision, there would be no restriction on women that they need to get married at 18. Now, the age bar of 21 will give a scope of education and the girl can decide if she wants to settle down. There are areas in India where child marriage is still practiced, so this decision will definitely help with that. After educating a girl, she should not think about the society because the society has always brought restrictions. Earlier people used to have a narrow mid-set but now it is changing and I feel that this decision will help in the abolishment of child marriage where it is practiced in some areas. If a girl child studies then she can make a difference and I support this decision and I hope that everyone supports it.