Male Entitlement: Man Divorces Wife Because She Couldn't Cook Anything But Maggi

A man in Mysuru filed for divorce after he realised that instant noodles are the only thing he would be eating for breakfast lunch and dinner. He said that his wife couldn't cook anything else other than Maggi as the reason for divorce.

A man in Mysuru has applied for divorce after being fed Maggi for breakfast lunch, and dinner. His wife not knowing how to cook became the reason for their divorce. But why do men have such expectations anyway? Is cooking only a woman's job? Why can't men learn how to cook too? These gender roles are so deeply ingrained in us, that men think they are entitled to be fed by women, forgetting that cooking is a basic life skill that should be learned by everyone, for their own survival.

More and more marriages are now ending in divorce, as the couples are refusing to settle for lesser than their expectations. M.L.Raghunath, the principal district and sessions court judge has named it the 'Maggi case'. The man in his complaint said-“Except for instant noodles, my wife does not know how to cook any other dish. If she goes to provision stores, she brings only instant noodles.”

The Maggi Case:

Judge M L Raghunath has spoken more about the frequent divorces saying- “It is difficult to resolve marital issues. If the couple considers the future of their children, reuniting is possible. Most of the time emotional issues wreck a marriage. Most of the time, even if the couple decides to live together, the mental scars continue lifelong. Out of 800 to 900 marital cases, we get success only in 20 or 30 cases."

Sharing this anecdote, in Mysuru, he revealed that this Maggi case came up when he was the district judge in Ballari, Karnataka. However, in the Maggi case, the couple was granted the divorce on mutual consent after hearing both sides of the argument. He also spoke more about the divorces stating that couples are now divorcing over every petty issue and that it's equal in both love and arranged marriages. He added that couples are now divorcing over issues like wrong stitching of wedding suits, placing salt on the wrong side of the plate, etc.

He also said that most divorce cases are from urban areas. Gram panchayats usually intervene and resolve the issue in rural areas, also because there is no independence for women in villages, as most of them are not educated and are fearful of the societal judgments and hence decide to continue in their marriages. But, in cities, women are educated and self-reliant. They do not hesitate to apply for divorce. “Couples have to stay together for at least a year before seeking a divorce. If there was no such law, there would be divorce petitions filed directly from wedding halls,” Justice Raghunath added

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