Rob and Anna's travel adventure

Rob has mentioned in his previous entries that I am enamoured by a newly discovered notion of matrimonial, in particularly by a notion of arranged marriages. I have never thought I'd say that, but...they are so cool! Let me explain before you explode at me! We had a very interesting stay with a highly educated person in New Delhi. We covered a wide range of topics, one of which was arranged marriages. Prior to our visit to India, I had a pre-conceived image of a young girl forced into marrying some old rich idiot (I am sure it still happens sometimes), the notion which naturally I could not accept. Well, my view has changed after our friend Surindar educated us in detail of the process; as a matter of fact both his son and daughter got married through an "arranged marriage" procedure.

Many arranged marriages show a higher statistics of staying together, many work out great, they are efficient, and practical. It goes something like this. In a local newspaper there is a section of matrimonial "Grooms available", and "Brides Available". The ad includes a description of bride/groom, their education, income (yes - the actual earnings), family background, etc. Then a family of a bride/groom contacts the other family, and in the initial meeting parents of a bride/groom meet (parents only), and get a feel about each other (after all they will be involved in the life as well). If they like each other, they bring a report to their son/daughter, and then arrange a meeting for the young (or sometimes old''er") couple to meet. Usually, the first meeting is very practical, it is a kind of assessment of territory so to speak. If the initial meeting goes well, another meeting is scheduled for the couple. Apparently, it is expected by parents of that couple than within a week or two, they should give a report to their parents to see if this is a worthwhile person to be after. I know it sounds like buying a car, or applying for a job, but think about it. A lot of times, guys and girls work long hours, starting an affair at work is looked down upon, their time of meeting people is limited, and they have a very particular image in mind who they want to marry. In the U.S. we have dating web sites, in India they have match making parents. Makes sense, doesn't it? Let me tell you this - I looked at both matrimonial sections for guys and girls, I was so impressed with what I saw, I even exclaimed "Rob, if you and I were not married, I want to marry that guy!". And for you, guys - you have to see the description of all these brides available. If I were a guy, I could see marrying several of them! :)
I will try to post a photo of a matrimonial section from a newspaper, you can see for yourself what I am describing!

I know that I will probably hear an earful about this entry, but I personally try to look differently now at a prospect of an arranged option. :)