Unplugged

Had thought it would be a long time before the in-famous call comes calling.
But seems like I was being a tad too optimistic. The chase has begun already.
And with that I declare myself joining the league of Indian women harassed by all the likes and synonyms of Shaadi.com.
(Funny isn't it, we are all vexed, whether in or out of matrimony.)

Here are a few recent examples . . .

"They are looking for a nice Indian girl for their ABCD son, so we suggest you."
"He is looking for a techie wife, I think u ll make a good pair."

U think ?!? As if u did me a big favor !!!

And lady, it's a pain to be recognized as a "nice Indian girl". The entire barrage of family and cousins and friends, seem to think they have been blessed with the divine right to marry you off to "a suitable boy" and are more than eager to perform their duty.

Now, I can't resist mentioning here, what are the parameters that determine "a suitable boy" !!!

"He has done his MBA / M.S. / B.E. from XYZ institute."
"He is working for so-and-so company."
"He is earning 'x' amount of money in 'y' currency."

Right !! I feel like asking - "Is he looking for a wife? Or a salary hike?"

Nobody seems to ask or answer the questions that I would be interested in -
What kind of a human being is he, is he polite, is he witty, does he abuse women, is his mom right out of KSBKBT?
Does he earn all that money by crook, is it dowry that's prompting him to fake being a good son and marry?
What !! He is 27 and never had a girlfriend, really what kind of a man is he?

And here's the other side of the story. . . . the one which is never told.

"Oh, my boy is a gem of a person."

Have you ever been to a vegetable shop? No, matter how rotten the tomato the shopkeeper will always say they are the freshest and sweetest in the whole world.

And for that matter, which guy tells him mom which party did he go to last night, which brand of cigarette did he smoke, which all girls he hit upon, and who he went to bed with. (Disclaimer : am not anti-men, I just know their ways well enough.)

Lol, even my folks won’t go about telling the in(s)-law-to-be that my daughter is super lazy, hell of a spendthrift and very short tempered !!!

So after all this circus - the punch line is "arranged marriage is a safe bet".
Oh, I can see how safe it is, in fact I am so moved by the safety and surety of it all that I ve kept a bag packed, ready to run, the moment water threatens to go above the head.

The moral of the story is - this gal ain't gonna get hitched so easy.