ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the experience of two men in family dispute settlement, and matrimonial negotiations that illuminates the reasons for the persistence of divorce practices and the social implications of their existence. Because of the gender compartmentalization that allows priority to men in the public area, the analysis of the men's perspectives is necessary to an understanding of the dynamics of Hindu divorce within the official legal culture both at the village and at the town level. The emerging local praxis on Hindu divorce shows that, within Hindu tradition, there exist instances contradicting the mainstream models of Hindu marriage as indissoluble and eternal. The chapter focuses on lawyer's representations of their legal practice. It explores how Hindu divorce is handled in official settings, while it is gradually transformed into official law. Notaries are aware that their role as mediator between custom and law often requires them to choose where to stand in power relationships.
