A situation of marriage in India

Whenever I stay in India, I go through a series of culture shock.

I’m surprised there are so many matrimonial advertisements on the newspaper. In this country, marriage with love is rare and parent’s decision or arrangement marriage is a mainstream. (Parent’s decision is unavoidable for their children’s marriage in either way.) Age, academic background, annual income, color of skin, parent’s occupation, meal (a vegetarian or not), and virtues are written on the advertisement. Also, it has some categories on the advertisement and it is divided according to “Caste”, “Disabled or not”, “Divorced or not”, and “Widow”. There are some good points, such as to value parent’s opinion or some kind of ethics view. (Young people don’t get involved in their relationship.)

We can learn from them. However, there are some problems in this country, such as marriage with aversion, not to be able to get married with a person in a different caste, and selling a house or a farm land for their daughter’s dowry. As a result, there are many orphans, divorcements (women who had broken the marriage), men who don’t work or take a responsibility depending on dowry.

It is common in all countries that we don’t understand each other if we don’t get married so it is important when we decide our marriage, we prepare ourselves and ask God’s will. The Creator who knows everything has the best plan for each one of us and a true marriage gives us blessing, not only two people who get married but also their family and relatives.

Psalm 31:10~11