Arranged Marriages & Online Matchmaking in India

In a country in which arranged marriages have been the norm for thousands of years, some Indians are starting to use technology to help them find the perfect mate.

Online matchmaking sites are becoming increasingly popular, according to this fascinating New York Times story.  As a result, "parents are increasingly  surrendering control."

On BharatMatrimony.com, which says it helps nearly 50,000 people in India get married each month, 82 percent of male profiles are posted by the prospective grooms rather than by their parents, up from 60 percent five years ago, said Murugavel Janakiraman, the site’s founder and chief executive.

This is a huge change in a country in which parents used to arrange almost all marriages.  But, as the New York Times notes, this does not mean that Indians "are straying too far from tradition."

Dating — or at least openly dating with parents’ consent — is still relatively rare. And many of those who choose semi-arranged marriages say that romantic love, the head-spinning Bollywood kind, is not their goal. Compatibility is, as is a sense of control over one’s destiny.

The Times story also include a colorful slideshow as well as the video clip above. Students studying Hinduism might find the story interesting.