Arranged Marriages
In India, arranged marriages continue to dominate over the
love marriages. Unlike a love marriage, where a person chooses his/her the life
partner, in an arranged marriage, the parents or family members play a vital
role, in choosing one's life partner. More often, it is the parents who select
a suitable partner for their son or daughter, after evaluating the family
background, education and the outlook of the bride or groom.
Typical Processes in a Current Day Arranged Marriage
It is a proven fact that the success percentage of
marriages, between people with similar background is more than those, with
dissimilar backgrounds. The parents, who are aware of it, normally give more
credence to the mutual compatibility than sex appeal, in their choice for a
bride or groom. During the profile matching process, other than the horoscope
matching, the details such as family background, education details, hobbies and
interest, color, height, weight, property value and earning ability and the
food habits are also considered. In some of the cases, even the private
detective services are used, to check the background of a bride or groom and
their social habits.
Arranged Dating
There is a mistaken belief that all the arranged marriages are
forced marriages. But it is not so. Most of the parents, make all the
preliminary checks mentioned above, satisfy themselves, before informing their
son or daughter their choice. They further use the opportunity, to explain the
pros and cons of marrying the chosen bride or groom. The bride and groom are
urged to meet and understand each other, before a close relative or alone in a
public place. Finally, the parents, give freedom to their children to accept or
reject their decision and choice.
Conclusion
The freedom to accept or reject the choice of the parent,
with valid reasons, makes the arranged marriages more advantageous. Except
those youngsters, with an impulsive attraction towards the superficial and
prominent attributes such as, external personality, hobbies and beauty, others
continue to emphasize more on the cultural and family background that are
time-tested.
