Why in India, it’s Socially Acceptable to Trade a Man’s Wealth for a Woman’s Looks
The ecosystem of shame created by Indian arranged marriages
My friend is headed towards disaster. I can do nothing to stop it.
Arohan (name changed) is a 28-year-old entrepreneur. He comes from a Marwari (an Indian ethnic group originally from Rajasthan) family where it’s normal to marry and “settle down” by 23.
At his age, Arohan should’ve had two kids.
But he was busy building his business from scratch. In his younger years, he worked so hard, he barely had time to look for a potential alliance. And now that he’s finally open to the idea of marriage, he’s considered “too old.”
Add to that the fact that most women he met have turned him down on the grounds that he’s neither conventionally good-looking nor a multi-millionaire, his self-esteem is at an all-time low.
Arohan’s parents are getting desperate for him to marry. His extended family has started questioning his character (Ladke me much to kami hogi — there must be something wrong with him, or else, why is he still unmarried?). After facing so many rejections from women, his confidence is reduced to bits.
