I can't be the only one in this country who thinks we Indians are a little too rigid when it comes to moving ahead with the times. In an age when there are bigger problems like pollution, population, inflation, etc. to deal with, we are still stuck on issues that prevent us from being a truly free society. There are many things we Indians need to be more liberal about and no, this is not some Utopian dream; it's actually possible if we just make the effort. We are still hung up on many things and we need to change that. They are things like (not in any particular order)

9. Live-In Relationships

We are a society obsessed with marriage. In fact, it's the one thing that unites all the religions in India. But seriously, is it really something we 'have to' do? If you and your partner want to get married - great! But if you don't, this country's laws are heavily biased against you. Recently, an unwed mother, while applying for her child's passport, was told that she needs to declare whether she was raped or not. Seriously, WTF?! And then try finding accommodation if you're open about your live-in relationship. Indians, we need to grow up and start respecting the choice of couples not wanting to get married.

10. Gender Identity

Yes, most people you come across may be heterosexual. But that does not mean that anyone who isn't is not 'normal.' We really need to start addressing some core problem areas in our society. We tell our kids that "hijras are annoying" because they "exhort money" but we don't tell them how schools and offices in India shun the trans community. We tell them to be wary about "gay people" because we are shamelessly ignorant about the difference between a homosexual person and a pedophile. We even have regressive laws like Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalizes consensual sex between two consenting adults of the same sex. It's time to change this.