<p>Arranged marriages! I fell into a trap set by my parents in the 90s, a scaled-down version of the 80s. While I was studying in the US, my parents had met a few girls and shortlisted them for my consideration. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Landing in Bangalore, I was handed over a list of ‘qualified names’ by my parents, who had used an exhaustive list of criteria. I had none. My mode of selection was a planned tête-à-tête with the prospective bride, a two-hour ‘interview’. <br /><br />I had excluded horoscope-matching with the rationale that if marriages are made in heaven, where’s the need to match on earth? Further pruning of this shortlist would yield a single, final choice. I had my own pressures to handle, a seemingly daunting task of ticking the checkboxes in a short span of time. God help me!<br /><br />The exercise started in the form of pleasantries exchanged between the two families, hot snacks along with juice/coffee served; followed with the girl having to display her musical skills etc. I put my foot down and said that the display part was not fair on the girl and that my final selection would still be based on the tête-à-tête!<br /><br />I lost count of the girls I met. The ‘interview’ turned out to be mine. One of them was keen to travel with me to the US, but wanted to live in a different city to realise her dreams with my resources! Here I was, dreaming of a life together with my wife, happily married! I was reminded of an experienced person’s quip that happiness and marriage never go together. <br /><br />I hit it off with another girl, or so I thought. We had many common interests, our ideologies matched. However, her parting question, “Is there anything else you would like to tell me?” left me in a state of quandary. The girl rejected me. I thought this prerogative was with the boy! Square one. <br /><br />It was by a quirk of fate that I met my wife. Her father insisted that they come down to Bangalore, so I could see and meet his daughter. Once bitten twice shy? Yes, we still met, followed by a three-hour discussion. Two days later, we were engaged; a week later, we were married. <br /><br />Not without reason the saying goes ‘to arrange a good marriage, tell a thousand lies’. A few elders in the family deemed it fit to trick me into a make-believe situation — a story that they had consulted an astrologer, who confirmed my life partner would have her name starting with the alphabet A, and be a graduate with a non-engineering degree; and it fit the bill thoroughly — and I fell a prey to this ploy. But 20 years later, it indeed is a happy marriage. <br /><br />It is only apt to recollect an episode — a phone call, a couple of days after our marriage. My new wife answered the call and handed it over to me. The person at the other end wanted to know if I had tied the nuptial knot. I answered in the affirmative. Even then, he pleaded me to consider his daughter’s case and the alliance favourably. Though tempted, I was cut short on my dream trip as my wife called me to join her for a cup of coffee.<br /></p>
<p>Arranged marriages! I fell into a trap set by my parents in the 90s, a scaled-down version of the 80s. While I was studying in the US, my parents had met a few girls and shortlisted them for my consideration. <br /><br /></p>.<p>Landing in Bangalore, I was handed over a list of ‘qualified names’ by my parents, who had used an exhaustive list of criteria. I had none. My mode of selection was a planned tête-à-tête with the prospective bride, a two-hour ‘interview’. <br /><br />I had excluded horoscope-matching with the rationale that if marriages are made in heaven, where’s the need to match on earth? Further pruning of this shortlist would yield a single, final choice. I had my own pressures to handle, a seemingly daunting task of ticking the checkboxes in a short span of time. God help me!<br /><br />The exercise started in the form of pleasantries exchanged between the two families, hot snacks along with juice/coffee served; followed with the girl having to display her musical skills etc. I put my foot down and said that the display part was not fair on the girl and that my final selection would still be based on the tête-à-tête!<br /><br />I lost count of the girls I met. The ‘interview’ turned out to be mine. One of them was keen to travel with me to the US, but wanted to live in a different city to realise her dreams with my resources! Here I was, dreaming of a life together with my wife, happily married! I was reminded of an experienced person’s quip that happiness and marriage never go together. <br /><br />I hit it off with another girl, or so I thought. We had many common interests, our ideologies matched. However, her parting question, “Is there anything else you would like to tell me?” left me in a state of quandary. The girl rejected me. I thought this prerogative was with the boy! Square one. <br /><br />It was by a quirk of fate that I met my wife. Her father insisted that they come down to Bangalore, so I could see and meet his daughter. Once bitten twice shy? Yes, we still met, followed by a three-hour discussion. Two days later, we were engaged; a week later, we were married. <br /><br />Not without reason the saying goes ‘to arrange a good marriage, tell a thousand lies’. A few elders in the family deemed it fit to trick me into a make-believe situation — a story that they had consulted an astrologer, who confirmed my life partner would have her name starting with the alphabet A, and be a graduate with a non-engineering degree; and it fit the bill thoroughly — and I fell a prey to this ploy. But 20 years later, it indeed is a happy marriage. <br /><br />It is only apt to recollect an episode — a phone call, a couple of days after our marriage. My new wife answered the call and handed it over to me. The person at the other end wanted to know if I had tied the nuptial knot. I answered in the affirmative. Even then, he pleaded me to consider his daughter’s case and the alliance favourably. Though tempted, I was cut short on my dream trip as my wife called me to join her for a cup of coffee.<br /></p>
