The Arranged Marriages In India!

It was early 1950s; he had barely settled in the new India after the 1947 partition and the independence from British Empire. The family and friends were preparing for weeks for this upcoming special occasion.
On one early spring day, he decorated his bullock carts and headed over to a small village a few miles away to get married. His company included his father, close family members and many friends.
The wedding ceremony – the religious rite – was arranged at the bride’s home. The afternoon feast was hosted in a haveli – an open air living area enclosed with tall brick walls….
By the late afternoon, the groom and his company were heading back to his village, this time two more passengers on his cart – his newly acquired wife and her family’s maid. During the entire wedding ceremony and the ride back to her new home, she had her face covered with an expensive hand-made shawl that was a part of the dowry she brought with her. He had not seen her face so far but his secret investigation through common family friends had confirmed a long time ago that she was very pretty.
She was very nervous the whole ride back to his place. However, once at her new home, she was embraced and loved by his family -his parents along with his younger bothers and sisters living in the same house.
…and, the simple life went on happily, the time kept on going ….
That’s a typical tale of how they used to get married in old day – the arranged marriage.
They did not know any other way. This was the way of life; a part of the local culture. This was the custom of the times; that is how things were.
Nobody in Indian politics or Indian society has ever challenged the age-old customs of arranged marriage. The reason is simple – Indian married life has been considered a well-lived and fruitful union for centuries. There was, and there is, no alternative tradition to compete with the monopoly of the Indian matrimonial customs.
With time, the marriages and weddings have evolved. The bullock carts or train rides of old days are replaced by the caravans of cars and limousines. The weddings have become much more elaborate and a part of the status symbols. The celebration and festivities can last for more than a week in many Indian cultures. The ceremony and reception generally has 100s of guest, many of them unknown to the bride or groom!
And then, as mentioned in the very next post, there are semi-arranged marriages …


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