Re: Running away is seen as such a bad thing in desi culture...
It might sound like a typical mean stepmother story… but I knew a girl who left home because of the negative environment in her house. her step mum always made her do ALL house hold chores and looking after her younger siblings. When she was 17 she was being pressured to marry so she left home.
She had no contact with her family for about a year, later after many discussions (some were nasty arguments) she moved back to her parents house and is now married and has a baby, not sure if it’s the same guy she was being forced to marry.
After moving back to her parents she was uncomfortable in our company and said she would prefer being with her family. I don’t think she regretted her choice because she seemed to ‘appreciate’ her family a lot more. I remember her saying that no matter what goes on in your home, having absolutely no one around you and an empty house is horrible.
Re: Running away is seen as such a bad thing in desi culture...
Only 2-3 percent of desis pay taxes. Assuming 70% below poverty level, and another 20% earning too little to pay taxes, 2 out of remaining 10 pay taxes.
Or 4 out of 5 don't pay taxes. Against this backdrop, running away from home is not as big a deal. Young and stupid maybe. But not as evil. Not even close.
Hmmmm – the jigsaw puzzle of numerology studded with figures as blatant as they are and compared with elopement of two beings probably in love – it is indeed heartless if not heart-wrenching. If the comparison of running away without paying your due governmental levied taxes is measured against getting married in a court of law without paying the earnest money or without greasing the palm of a maulvi, would amount to thieving and embezzlement for legitimizing the bilateral love, it may even be worse.
No matter how you may like to evolve your percentages of the poverty of love to the taxes levied thereafter, in our society of payers and non-payers of taxation, eloping with a lover would end up in a wide variety of story telling. From Hir Ranjha to Sassi Pannu to Romeo Juliet to Anarkali disco chali with or without a partner, running away from home without telling your parents would almost in all cases result in an uncalled for and taxing adventure.
And an adventure without paying the taxes due either to your parents or to the government, would in all probability be remuneratively quite taxing as well. Avoidance is suggestive or you are advised to watch some old Indian movies to learn more or visit the taxpayer’s web sites and learn to pay your taxes. :)