Arranged Marriage - a Variation of Arranged Marriages

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 Nanda's statement that 'in

India all marriages are arranged' is, perhaps, an exaggeration. However, Nanda's

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

zero...you don't have any expectations so you don't 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