Marry-go-round!

"A caring and family oriented girl with simple living and high thinking"..."I got a first class throughout my career with 99% in tenth standard"..."Looking for Mr.cool and handsome". All these headlines certainly made my head spin. As you might have guessed, I was skimming through "desi" matrimonial sites. The sole reason being curiousity, to learn about how exactly do these portals work and do business. Well, it was certainly entertaining to look at people selling themselves in any and every way possible!The photos looked fake (the expressions i mean) and the profile essays were shameless ripoffs of samples from some of the online essay sites :P
Well, this is one way "desi"(s) look to find "soulmate"(s) and try to make their life easier. "Easier" because it's certainly convenient to find someone online, unlike going through the rigmarole of understanding the other person. Some of the sites might be doing well, given the fact that Indians are fond of a closed system, when it comes to marriage and man-woman relationships. The most famous remark (somewhat caustic) on this system was in our very own desi flick "Pardes". One of the actors remarks that "you guys tether boys and girls separately like they were some kinda animals".
The movie, although made with an honest intention, highlighted the parochial attitude of people from some parts of India. In the flick, just as in real life, the girl goes through the "arranged marriage" process and ends up getting screwed (almost! thanks to King Khan :)). Also the fact that Indians are suckers for the America based "NRI boy with indian cultural values" is quite evident. In fact, my research on these sites took me to one which had a roster of "H1-B approved candidates" (No jokes guys! this is for real!)
Taking a step back, we could really do an analysis on why these sites are so popular. The west does not have such a thing, although they do have lots of online dating sites. India is evolving and has been adopting values from the west. Yet, somehow we seem to be a closed society when it comes to these matters. Still, many communities, indulge in "horoscopes" and "manglik" etc. Apparently, these folks seem to have forgotten the premises on which a marriage ought to be built. The foundation has to be strong committment and understanding and not some celestial bodies whose positions dictate whether or not a marriage can succeed. The west has its own shortcomings, since it has a open society which encourages a "no holds barred" approach. But, its a different society in terms of concepts like "live in" relationship etc, some of which might not find approval in "modern" india as well.
Digressing a bit, "love marriage" is another concept in Indian culture where in two people seem to have found true marital bliss. There are differences between the "arranged" and "love" marriage(s). One advocates understanding a person before entering wedlock while the other has vice versa. The "risk" factor or "instability quotient" is equal on either side. The "love"d one might be a good date, may or may not turn out to be a good spouse. Same is the case with the "arranged" marriage gang. They are ready to move ahead with compromises, to make their marriage work. But, then what is the point if the relationship is based entirely on compromise?
All said and done, there seems to be no magical formula as to why relationships work. If someone could find the panacea to all the relationship based issues, this world would be a better place to live. No hurling of vessels from the kitchen, no heated arguments, no heart burns and no two timing partners......well..that's it.. apparently there seems to be a good lookin dame on shaadi.com....i gotta rush... cya!!