Website shows urban India shedding divorce stigma

By Meenakshi Ray

NEW DELHI, Aug 21 (Reuters Life!) - A decade ago, getting a divorce in India often made you feel like a social misfit, the odd-one-out at family gatherings, the one with something "wrong".

But the popularity of a new Indian matrimonial Web site dedicated to divorcees reflects how more urbanites are opting for divorce in a country which has traditionally found it unacceptable, experts say.

In the two months since it was launched, 6,000 people have registered for a second shot at marriage on SecondShaadi.com, a new Web site catering exclusively for divorcees.

"Whether good or bad, the fact is that divorce rates are increasing in India and even amongst matrimonial sites this segment of profiles has seen maximum amount of growth," said Vivek Pahwa, owner of the Web site Pahwa KBS.

According to a recent report in the Times of India newspaper, more and more Indians are shunning traditional conservative societal views where the institution of marriage -- "shaadi" in Hindi -- is revered and divorce is frowned upon.

Quoting data from the courts and crime records bureaux, the leading daily said in the capital New Delhi, about 9,000 divorce cases are filed every year compared to 1,000 in the 1990s.

The eastern city of Kolkata and southern city of Chennai have both seen a 200 percent rise in divorce rates, the report added.

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