Arranged Marriage – Still A Popular and Esteemed Way of Finding A Groom or A Bride in India.

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India is getting modern day-by-day. Rapid urbanization, increasing mall culture and a large no. of English speaking population are the signs of positive development.

But……….. (a but is always there)

Are we really getting modern and advanced? I think, this modernization has stuck mainly to our food, clothes and entertainment activities.

I would like to narrate you an interesting example.

Mrs. Sharma is a 45 years old housewife, modern and broad-minded (as she calls herself).

Rohan, her 27 years old son, has recently returned from US. He holds an engineering degree and was working in US. Having lived there for four years, he started feeling lonely and homesick, and therefore, returned to his country.

Now, he wants to settle down in life. He left this greatest decision of his life onto his parents and is happily ready to marry the girl his mom selects for him.

Well, Mrs. Sharma is on cloud nine and starts looking for a bride for her son.

Just a few qualities that she wants in her daughter-in-law for sure are: (I must tell you that Rohan is an average-looking, bespectacled guy and is known for his bad temper in the society)

Moneyed cow – got my son the best education, sent him US, now its my time to cash it back…

Beautiful – this is the basic yet most important quality that every “bahu” must have. First prestige issue among all the relatives and neighbors. (Includes complexion, height, body figure, flawless skin with no visible spot and no spectacles, please…)

Professionally Educated – when my son is Foreign-returned engineer, how can my daughter be a simple graduate?  A professional degree is required.

Some Knowledge of Household Chores – at least cooking (she will learn everything gradually)
Other qualities like obedient, soft spoken, humble, responsible, active and hard working etc. needn’t to be looked for as these should dwell in any daughter-in-law by default.

So, how far has Mrs. Sharma been successful? Her search for “perfect Bahu” is still going on. Don’t know that how much time will it take but Mrs. Sharma won’t compromise on any factor.

2 days before, I heard my neighbor saying that Mrs. Sharma rejected a very good alliance. She was saying, “the girl was a chartered accountant and good looking also, but her parents were unable to fulfill the cash demand.”

I am happy for that girl and sad for Mrs. Sharma.

Do you have to say anything to Mrs. Sharma or many other women like her? Please write your views and thoughts.

Comments

  1. HussainJuly 13, 2010 at 10:58 PM

    You have forgotten caste. Caste still plays a major role in Indian society than money and how educated the person is.

    May be your post is concentrating the middle class professional family but lower middle class and upper middle class (like businessmen) are more likely to have their kids marry someone of their caste rather than someone professional.

    Moreover, in families with businesses (not a job), all such professionalism goes to a waste once the girl is married. If the family is well off, the girl may either help the guy for business if she is little educated else would end up cooking delicious meals for the hubby/family!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bijay Rungta (rungss)July 13, 2010 at 11:00 PM

    Very Interesting and a well known truth.

    Mrs Sharma,
    You got to get yourself educated..

    @rungss on Twitter..

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sudha Agarwal RungtaJuly 14, 2010 at 11:03 AM

    Thanks for your comment Hussain! Perhaps I took it by default that she would be searching in her caste only. Caste is indeed an important factor.

    ReplyDelete

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