Social ties in families change over time, and the story of an elderly couple from Sikandrabad in the Bulandshahr district, Uttar Pradesh, demonstrates the painful picture of these changes. It concerns a 75-year-old husband and his 70-year-old wife, Satyavati, who have four sons.
In old age, couples usually wish to live with their children, but this did not happen in the case of this couple. A dispute arose between the husband and wife regarding the children, and gradually they began living separately. In the village of Sikandrabad, this couple has four sons. The conflict was that the father wanted to live with some sons, while the mother wanted to live with others. As a result, the situation led to two sons staying with the mother and two with the father, effectively dividing the family.
The father settled with the eldest and youngest son, while the two middle sons lived with Satyavati. Over time, the distance between the spouses grew. They frequently had arguments, which escalated to physical violence and were taken to the police station. After this, the husband became disillusioned and stopped communicating with his wife and the two middle sons, remaining with the sons who lived with him.
Due to the separate living arrangements, the distance between the spouses continued to increase. During this time, 70-year-old Satyavati's health problems worsened. The two sons with whom she lived did not have sufficient financial means to provide her with quality treatment and cover expenses. Therefore, Satyavati approached her husband for help, stating that the husband is responsible for supporting his wife, and demanded financial support for treatment and daily needs.
After receiving this complaint, the case went to the police media department. The police summoned the elderly couple. Counselors spoke with both of them, trying to resolve the long-standing conflict and restore the relationship between the spouses. Specialists from the women's department tried to convince the elderly couple and all four sons to live together, but years of hostility and estrangement made this impossible.
The rift in the relationship became so deep that neither the husband nor the wife was ready to live together. During the counseling, an attempt was made to agree on an alternative option. Ultimately, with the mediation of the police, the elderly husband agreed to provide his wife with a monthly allowance. It was decided that he would pay Satyavati 5000 rupees monthly so that she could support herself.
Alka Choudhary, who is responsible for the women's department, reported that the elderly husband and his wife were convinced. Following this, the husband agreed to pay his wife 5000 rupees monthly. According to Alka Choudhary, 15 days had passed, so 2700 rupees were paid for the next 15 days. From the following month, the husband is ready to pay his wife 5000 rupees monthly. Thus, although the attempt to reunite the spouses was unsuccessful, a path for financial assistance to the wife was found thanks to the consultations of the police and the women's department.
In 2003, the film 'Baagban' showed the story of the relationship between elderly parents and their four sons. However, this real story from Sikandrabad differs in that the parents split among four sons, and the spouses also separated. In old age, they are forced to live under different roofs. After health and financial difficulties for the wife, the matter reached the police. Thanks to the mediation of the women's department, the husband agreed to pay his wife a monthly allowance of 5000 rupees, after which the case was officially closed.