DR. AMBEDKAR AND THE HINDU CODE BILL 941
thing. It is said that a custom, to have the validity of a custom, must be ancient, must be moral, must be definite, etc. These are principles under which customs will be recognised in courts of law. I say it is wrong to say that, notwithstanding the validity of any established practice, we abrogate that because we have come to a different conclusion. What right have you to say so ? It is not that I am questioning the competence of this Parliament to go into this matter. I am only saying to my Hon. Friend, let him not force this law on the community. It may become a dead letter. Let the people come forward and ask for these reforms. I would like to have statistics as to how many persons have married under the Civil Marriages Act. We may call the people ignorant; after all, time will judge whether they are ignorant. Therefore, I would appeal to hon. Members not to jump before you are sure of the ground Let us have
4 P . M . piece-meal legislations. We had the Widow Re-marriage Act. We had the Act to give women the power to inherit property. We had the Act to restrain child marriages and so on. Therefore, I say, let us wait and see. Let us go slow. Noting will be lost thereby. Nothing will be lost because we do not allow divorce. Allow it to those who want a divorce. Let those who have solemised their marriages under the civil authority, to jointly make a declaration that they will be governed by the Civil Marriage Act. If there is a volume of opinion against a measure, let us try to change that volume of opinion. Let hon. Members consider the question coolly and deliberately. Let us not displace the existing system merely because something is novel or strange so that you may go with the rest of the universe. We understand what is meant by Christianity. Germany is a Christian country, but were there no fightings in Germany ? Do not Christians fight with each other ? How can we say that because of castes and creeds in our country the nation went down to the Greeks ? Why give a platform and a point to every other man to abuse us ? We have progressed, and progressed considerably. In Switzerland, they say no woman has a vote. Then why not our women go there and ask them to demand votes ? There is no use giving a lurid picture of our society and of our women. Our women have produced Sitas and Savitris. They followed their husbands. Perhaps we have now to follow our wives. Let them write our Puranas and say that men should follow their wives, if that would bring domestic peace. To-day we are husband and wife. To-morrow I go to a cinema and see a woman well made