Shifting tradition of Arrange Marriages with the emergence of Matrimonial Sites!

Unlike in the West, where marriage is subjected to one’s own choice; in India, it is considered as an enduring unification between two families rather than two individuals. 

Indian Matrimonial Sites have taken the forefront in getting a perfect match for you, leading to cultural union.

 When we, the Indians, speak of Arrange marriage, we generally tend to think of a marriage, where a perfect match has been arranged by some dhoti-claded pundits or by a match maker known by our family.  But, with the evolution of matrimonial sites, the concept of traditional arrange marriage has changed immensely, and a new concept of online marriage has set its foothold.

Arranged Marriages in India: An overview                                                                    

Although the practice of finding a suitable match for an eligible boy or a girl has changed with the advent of newspapers, magazines or marriage websites, yet in some parts of India, parents or the elders still take the lead in finding an apt groom or a bride. However, unlike primitive times, today the children have to have their consent for their chosen partner so that they can live happily with each other post marriage.

In our country, when a marriage is finalized by the parents or the elders, they consider a myriad of details like, caste, the family background of the bride or the groom, educational and social status, economic backdrop of the family, lifestyle and culture, look and appearance of the couple, if the horoscope of the duo matches, and many more. In some cases, even casual background verification of the individuals is performed with the help of common friends and relatives. Such checking can provide a clear picture about the character, habits, nature or any prior affairs of an individual.  After a successful screening process, the acceptance comes from both the families and an enduring relationship is established between them.

Both the prospective bride and the groom are allowed to spend   some quality time with each other pre wedding, so that a successful arrange marriage can work out between the two .

Stand of Indian Matrimonial Sites in Shaping the Social Custom:

No doubt, the structure of extended family has become fragile over the decades paving the way for nuclear family. This has led to the lack of social connections which was hugely provided by the members of a joint family. Social networks are considered as a strong medium for the parents of the prospective couple in finding a suitable soul mate for their offspring.  However, with the prevalence of the nuclear family concept in the urban India, the traditional way of hunting for eligible bride and groom has undergone a change. People now-a-days prefer to seek the help of matrimonial advertisements in newspapers, marriage bureau, online marriage registration, Swayamvar on television, etc.

With the progress in information technology, online matrimonial services have made it much easier for the parents to find a suitable spouse for their kids. Many community and free matrimonial websites too have emerged for the convenience of the Indian families, which assures to find a perfect match within a week.  This has probably granted the ‘veto power’ to the marriageable candidate on any proposal introduced by their parents.