Bangalore:
Lakshmikanth K toiled hard and spent his meagre income in fulfilling his wife's dream of becoming an engineer. After realising her dream, she sent a divorce notice to her husband, the man claimed.
According to Save India Family Foundation, fighting for the rights of married men against domestic violence, there has been a steady increase in married men being subjected to violence. "Fifty per cent of all cases filed against men by their spouses are false," Virag Dhulia, the president of the foundation, said.
However Lakshikanth's wife narrated a different tale. She claimed her husband and in-laws were least supportive, which forced her to seek divorce.
Lakshmikanth, 36, sacrificed a decade of his life to make his wife an engineer. Now, his life is at a crossroad: "There are several others like me, who have been cheated by their wives," the private firm employee said.
Life has not been kind to Lakshmikanth. The eldest of three siblings, he dropped out after completing his SSLC and supplemented his father's income, in order to make ends meet. He earned `2,000 a month, and with that amount, he supported his brothers' studies.
His family arranged Lakshmikanth's marriage 10 years ago. When she expressed her wish to pursue a course in engineering, the man was more than happy to support. He put her in an evening college.
After the successful completion of the course, his wife found a job in a private firm. Lakshmikanth said he had hoped for a better, prosperous life, after she had got employed.
His wife, however, did not share the same hope, as later incidents proved. She allegedly picked up quarrels over petty issues, and was angry since Lakshmikanth earned less, the man said.
Lakshmikanth claimed she started having clandestine affairs with other men. Though he was aware of her affairs, he maintained a dignified silence, hoping she would mend her ways, the man said.
She didn't. Instead, he received the divorce notice in September 2010. The case is now in the mediation stage.
His wife says said her in-laws and husband were against continuing studies after marriage, and that her parents had financed her studies.
She added that Lakshmikanth and his parents were against her being a career woman, which made her opt for divorce.
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