Essay About United States And Topic Of This Research Report

Arranged Marriage – a Variation of Arranged Marriages
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Matrimoni?is: A variation of arranged marriages
In a world that is constantly embracing change, with individuals sometimes less
willing to abandon tradition altogether, there is room for compromise?an
attempt to make best of both worlds. Spouse selection, interestingly, appears to
be a case in point. The topic of this research report is matrimonial adver
tisements that are seeking responses from individuals with the prospect of
gaining partners for married life. To this extent, these matrimoni?is constitute a
variation on the theme of arranged marriages. Serena Nandas statement that in
India all marriages are arranged is, perhaps, an exaggeration. However, Nandas
observation, even among the educated middle classes in modern, urban India,
marriage is as much a concern of the family as it is of the individuals (1992:
34), is very much a fact of life?substantiated by the matrimoni?is published
both in India and the United States.
The matrimoni?is published in the United States a decade ago and analyzed by
Rajagopal Ryali (1989) not only conveyed a microcosmic view of the socio
cultural world in which these immigrants lived and flourished but also indicated
changes which these individuals have experienced. This same pattern applies to
those who advertise in India, and in India, of course, matrimoni?is were an inno
vation to begin with. Newspapers in particular seem to have gained recognition
as a medium for contacting large numbers of potential respondents. At the same
time, there has been a decline in reliance on personal knowledge of likely mates
and a lessening of direct contact with prospective candidates. If information
about a large number of persons is available, as can be gleaned through the print
medium, the probability for acquiring the most suitable partner is theoretically
enhanced. Matrimoni?is, therefore, are apparently here to stay. As one person
recently stated after ten years of a successful arranged marriage, It started from
zeroyou dont have any expectations so you dont have any disappointment.
You can only go up, not down (Nomani 1988:19). An arranged marriage is
presumed to have an implied social sanction.
Internationaljournal of Hindu Studies 2, 1 (April 1998): 107-15
1998 by the World Heritage Press Inc.
The growing use of newspapers in the placement of may be
traced, in part, to demographic considerations. The population in India has
increased rapidly, just as the size of immigrants from India to North America.
Most immigrants in the United States and those in India continue to rely on
patterns of behavior reflective of the culture in which they are socialized.
Essentially critical is the lack of a sufficient number of matchmakers, both in
India and particularly the United States to meet the growing demand. Under
these conditions, the next best alternative in consummating an arranged marriage
would be to resort to other substitutes, including newspapers and surrogate
marriage brokers. The increased number of matrimoni?is appearing in news
papers in India and in the United States provides support for this trend.
There has been an obvious change in India, in terms of placing more emphasis
on individual values as opposed to group values, due to industrialization and
urbanization. However, the matrimoni?is reflect a persistent reliance on family
(that is, group) values. A clear majority of the advertisements (over 75 percent)
are published by a relative or a family friend rather than the candidate herself or
himself. In the major cities in India, there are institutional matchmakers sought
out by a few individuals who are bent on making personal choices instead of
seeking help through a relative or friend. The author understands that such
commercial approaches are a rarity but a modern development?an imitation of
the West.
A decade ago, Ryali (1989) collected and analyzed a randomly selected
sample of matrimoni?is that appeared in 1985 and that were published by
members of the Asian Indian ethnic community living in the United States.
These matrimoni?is were part of the classified columns of a weekly newspaper
issued from New York City, India abroad. The study revealed interesting
preferences expressed by individuals with respect to social and personal charac
teristics. In 1985 Ryali also collected an equal number of randomly selected
matrimonial advertisements published in Chennai (Madras), India, through a
daily English-language newspaper, the Hindu. However, selection was limited to
the columns of the Sunday paper only. The Chennai