Interesting question, isn’t it?  I am sure that most people in the marriageable age bracket would preferably opt for a love marriage over the arranged one. The words ‘love marriage’ or ‘arranged marriage’ have acquired so many layers of meaning, that it is difficult to consider them in isolation. Let me elucidate my meaning.

 

Generally, people assume that if you have had a love marriage, you must be adventurous, lively and generally a cool person, whereas if you have gone in for an arranged marriage, you are, in most likelihood a boring and ‘aagyakaari’ person who silently follows the wishes of his or her parents. No one wants to have the latter image and so the great desire for a love marriage.

 

To add to this, Bollywood and the rest of the entertainment industry thrives on the love formula and since movies are our staple diet, it is difficult to ignore the persistent barrage.  I personally think that if you belong to the section of the populace that holds the views that I have mentioned here, then you are living in an illusionary world.

 

You see, the most important thing is that the entire arranged marriage scenario has undergone a radical change in modern India. So, in most urban cities today, you will not find the humiliating ‘ladki dekhna riwaaz’ that used to be so popular earlier. On the other hand, both girls and guys have an active voice in choosing their partners. Many times, with the help of different reliable marriage websites (and even otherwise), they get to interact meaningfully with the potential bride or groom without the interference of well-meaning relatives and parents. In other words, it is a completely independent choice quite similar to the dating scenario in the West. Doesn’t that sound great?

 

More on this post tomorrow….