Marriages of The Times
Arvind and Renu got married recently. Their wedding flloweld the pattemn of traditional Indian mariage. The girl's family judged the boy's job future, and the boy's family investigated (调查) the girl's background and character. Then Arvind's parents gave Renu the traditional pre-wedding gifts of clothes and jewelry. After the wedding, Renu moved into the home of her husband's parents.
Renu and Arvind met through a newspaper ad! Renu's father placed the ad in The Hindustan Times, a national newspaper. Arvind's father looked in the newspapers and saw the ad.“One has to depend on modern resources. You want to find someone who is well educated and from a good family for your child. The newspaper ads give you more choices," said Arvind's father.
His son and new daughter-in-law agree. They share the feelings of many young Indians who accept newspaper ads, placed by their parents, as the ideal way to find a mate: "We trusted our parents completely," said Arvind.
Social scientists explain that marriage through newspaper ads is becoming more common in India. They say that it is one sign of social change. In the past, Indian parents would arrange marriages with the sons or daughters of their friends and neighbors. Now Indian society is not as stable as it was in the past. People move all the time. They do not get to know the people in their community well. The ads show another change, too. People still expect a woman to be attractive and a good housekeeper. But fanmilies are also looking for women and men with an education. Status is becoming less important.
Arvind's father considered newspaper ads a good way to find a mate for his son.