Marriage norms in India are still very backdated and old fashioned. Men and especially women who have crossed twenty face pressure from their respective families for getting married. The society limits social interaction and freedom of choice regarding matrimony; so the only way for getting a groom or bride for some people is to post an ad on local newspapers seeking a match or enlisting themselves on marriage websites. Arrange marriages are looked at as something more respectable and stable than love marriages. A woman or man who has crossed their mid twenties yet has not taken any decision of marriage is looked at as social outcasts and they have to face lots of adversities.
Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan is a part of the Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development. This branch of the Human Resource Development Ministry is supposed to overlook and govern the education system but it seems they have decided to lend a helping hand to the teachers under the government for finding the ideal match. There is a page in the official website of Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan that is devoted to the teachers who haven’t got hitched yet. There are hundreds of schools across India that is run by this association. The schools they govern are mainly for the kids of government employees who have to move very often. Even local and regular students also go to these public schools.
The numerous teachers who have been listed in the page for unmarried bride and grooms in the official websites have been warned by the association to verify the details themselves. Their attempt has led to few marriages so far and has become a laughing stock for the public. It demonstrates the social paranoia regarding marriage among the Indians. They are ready to go to any extent for getting their kids married. The parents of girls give dowry amounting to several hundred thousands of Indian rupees. A closer look at the match making system reveals that very few have been able to find a good match from the listings.
Arbind Nair, who teaches in a school in Jharkhand, got himself listed under the website but found a match in his village through word of the mouth system. Arrange marriage often overlooks the need for compatibility and focuses on convenience, appearance and salary checks. It is probably time when the young people are given a little more chance at mingling with the opposite sex and finding the right life partner.
