So here is an eye opener I read in a book “Going Dutch in Beijing”. It is about Indian marriages, so funny!! The heart fails to accept but the fact is true.
“At one time Muslim and Hindu marriages were entirely arranged, and bride and groom were often strangers on their wedding day, catching first sight of each other in a hand-held mirror during the ceremony. Nowadays, especially in the Asian Diaspora, much arranged marriage is more like a dating service organized by the parents. People talk of ‘semi-arranged marriage’ or ‘arranged introduction’. With the agreement of potential groom or bride, many parents these days place lonely hearts ads in suitable newspapers or canvass specialized dating websites on their children’s behalf. They will then select a suitable match, based on the criteria that include caste, family background, wealth and appearance. A meeting of the potential couple may then be arranged, with parents, or in more liberal families, chaperones on hand. The couple may even be allowed a short unsupervised meeting or walk together. Even in the most traditional liaisons, where the bride and groom don;t meet until their wedding day, they will probably have exchanged photographs and CV’s and emailed each other or spoken on the phone. “
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