YOU'RE BEING SET (UP)

The arranged marriage vs love marriage debate never gets old. After an entire generation rebelled against being set up, there seems to be a bit of a going back to the roots’, as more people embrace the concept of matchmaking yet again

- Ananya Swaroop

It's a quiet Sunday evening at home where my family has just gathered in the living room to have freshly made fritters. My sister, now 29, has just returned from the US for a vacation. She excitedly takes the first bite of mom's food, when my father interrupts her karmic moment. "So, what have you thought about your marriage?", my father asks. My sister is already regretting coming to the living room, but she has to give him a reply. "You find me one," she replies.

Interestingly, just like her, a lot of young adults are opening up to the idea of an arranged marriage. Utkarsh Srivastava, 29, says, "I feel like arranged marriage already establishes the fact that you want to get married eventually before you even meet the person. It saves you the drama. You also get to know a person before you say yes. It's not like old times now. It's more like a 'final dating chapter' of your life." Srivastava adds that his search for the one is going pretty well and his only criteria is a matching vibe.

Raksha Bharadia, founder of Bonobology (a relationship counselling website), however feels that there are other reasons for it. "Gen-Z, without sounding condescending, want everything on their plates. Arranged marriages are like that. The family is doing

the work, the economics are settled, the background checks are done. Everything is done for them so it is easier. Also, in this arrangement, you already have the support of your family. No convincing is involved, which saves them from a lot of trouble," Bharadia adds. And while that might be the case for most of the Gen-Z adults, we cannot look away from the fact that most of them are always at work. Busy schedules, being surrounded by mostly people from work, and being burdened by deadlines could also be the reason why people are unable to take out time to meet people and are opting for an arranged marriage as an option.