I was born and raised in India and am married to a Singaporean.

I have had the opportunity to experience life in Singapore, India, Australia and England, and based on that, I always say: 'East or West, Singapore is the best.'

But last Sunday, I was taken aback when I read the article about the orientation programmes in universities here ('Orientation - just fun or plain lewd?').

I cannot imagine my daughter or sons doing all that shameful stuff.

What is being promoted - sex or marriage?

What makes anyone think that these acts will help draw male and female students closer for the long term?

During my stay at the International Students Hostel in Auckland, New Zealand, for instance, I came across many Asian students living as partners but who did not believe in the institution of marriage.

Shouldn't we be looking instead at the situation in other countries, such as India, where the divorce rate is low, marriages last longer, and the birth rate is high?

Parineeta Dogra (Ms)

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Sept 5, 2008.