Juneflower - Why I disapprove of an arranged marriage

I have never failed to raise an eyebrow when someone has been married the “arranged” way. Though I am not much of a believer in marriage itself, I find the arranged ones albeit a little strange. I have my own reservations. You can blame the numerous MBAs (Marriage Broker Aunties) for helping me develop such a sour taste for the same. (‘Aunties’ being a generic term for the bride hunting aunty-like).

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This happened at a temple 11 years ago, when I had just completed my 10th. My grandparents (especially my granny wanted me to do the usual temple visit and I didn’t want to displease her).

Priest (asks my grandpa): “So, she is your granddaughter?”
Grandpa: “Yes, she has scored a high percentage in her 10th std. Please bless her”
Priest: “So you must be looking for a groom for her?”
Me: Stupefied. Angry. Disgusted. Shirking away from the priest to escape his blessings.
Grandpa: “No way. She will study further.”
Me (with a sigh of relief, mutter to self): “Thanks, Grandpa.”

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At a wedding 5 years ago –

Aunty No. 1: “Surabhi, you have done your B.E and now you are 22. I think this is the time for you to get married”.
Me: “But aunty ji, I feel there is no “right time” for marriage”
Aunty No. 1: “But girls should marry when they are young only. Otherwise how will they look good in the video?”
Me: Zonked.
Me: “Aunty ji, I plan to do my MBA”
Aunty No 1: “Don’t do that dear. It would be tough to find you a higher educated groom. The husband should always be more educated than the wife”
Me (trying to avoid fainting): ”Whattttttttttttttttttttttttt?”

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At a relative’s house warming ceremony 4 years ago –

Granny No. 1 catches me unawares and exclaims – “Oh dear, you are so pretty. Whose daughter are you”. Just like someone found a cute stray puppy on the road and was thinking of taking it home.

Aunty No.2 pitches in with details. And uncalled for ones like “Didn’t you know, she is accomplished in veena, singing and has won so many awards in her school and college days” (A perfect sales pitch? It is not uncommon to find girls in South Indian Brahmin families dabbling in an art form or two. For one moment, they made me regret all the learning).

Granny No. 1: “Surabhi dear, my nephew is coming to India from the US. He has done his MS and pursuing MBA. He will be here for a short while and wants to take a wife back” (As if wife becomes an addendum to the visa for an eligible bachelor in the US)

Me (thinking, with my lower jaw dropped so low in despise and shock that it remained that way for the rest of the function): “Will you care to ask what I want”

All I did was apply reverse gear and stay as far away from Granny No. 1’s line of sight as possible.
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Now if I accidentally venture into a wedding, all those aunties and grannies would give me a “oh - that girl who has done her MBA - is already 27 and still single” look and would not manage to hover anywhere near me. The fact that I am intimidating to them amuses me and I end up enjoying every moment of it. I hope one day a meteorite from “Planet Sense” comes and hits these bride hunting relatives. Or maybe it will take a generation or two for natural evolution.