Couples attend the marriage counselling session at the Social Development Centre in Ranchi. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, Dec. 8: Marriages may be made in heaven but one has to constantly work on them to live happily ever after. A counselling session for soon-to-be-married couples substantiated this.

One hundred and fifty-two engaged couples attended a three-day counselling session called the “Art of living a married life” which began today.

Being held at Social Development Centre (SDC) the three-day session would apprise participants on strengthening their relationship by self-knowledge, communication and love.

Couples from Gumla, Simdega, Hazaribagh, Khunti, Jamshedpur, Orissa and Bengal attended the session, which is held thrice a year.

Father Vincent Toppo, who started the concept of counselling for engaged couples in 1985, while addressing the participants stressed that love cannot last for long if couples are selfish. Selfishness in marriage ultimately leads to divorce.

He said modern couples are not communicating enough and feels that love is enough for marriages to survive.

“Nowadays, couples enter into a relationship with a profit-making mentality. Both husband and wife try to find ways to make profit and in the process lose generosity. This type of relation becomes self- centred,” Toppo added.

“Initially, there were only 20 couples who had sought counselling. After that the demand for these sessions increased,” said Toppo.

One of the engaged couples Monica Soren and Amit Khalkho, who would be tying the knot on December 29 said, there are a lot of similarities between them but this session has come as an eye opener as far as communication is concerned.

“We need to be open and also need to know each others likes and dislikes,” Monica said.

While Hemlo Minz, who is due to get married on January 3 thinks nowadays human relations are not respected. Commodities are more valuable.

“It is also one of the reasons for increasing divorce cases. Hence, both of us have decided not to lay much stress on the financial factors. No doubt it is important but to have smooth relationship, emotions are also important,” Minz added.

At the end of today’s session couples were asked three questions separately. Five such sessions are to take place.