Arranged Marriage
Arranged marriage refers to a marital union that involves families and social circles undergoing a selection process to matchmake a bride and groom. The bride and groom can choose to accept or reject the proposed match. This is in contrast to forced marriages and love marriages (which lie on two ends of this spectrum).
This system of arranging marriages has been an effective mechanism for maintaining caste status. The choices provided to both bride and groom are based on overlapping caste status first, and then educational qualifications, skin colour, body type and other factors are considered.
In fact, according to a report by the Hindu, only about 5% of Indian marriages are intercaste, with this percentage being marginally higher in urban areas.
Arranged marriages have been historically practiced in many cultures, most notably in South Asia. It has been especially instrumental in maintaining the wealth and legacy of elite circles across the world. The practice is normalised by groups that experience immense benefits due to the preservation of their social and economic status.
While this system has been mocked and ridiculed as outdated in the globalised world, shows such as “Indian Matchmaking” serve to positively reintroduce it in the modern context. Such shows blatantly expose the acceptance of caste. Through romanticised depictions of arranged marriage, the practice of endogamy is further normalised for a 21st century audience.
As Yashica Dutt, author of “Coming Out As a Dalit” explains, “By coding caste in harmless phrases such as “similar backgrounds,” “shared communities,” and “respectable families,” the show does exactly what many upper-caste Indian families tend to do when discussing this fraught subject: It makes caste invisible.”
Marrying someone who belongs to a different or lower caste status is perceived as a threat to the wealth and “purity” of the group. Therefore, it is avoided at any cost.
After all, nothing is more dangerous than love. Because human beings will do the craziest things for love. While we are biologically programmed to survive at all costs, love throws all this programming out the window. It becomes worth sacrificing everything for. Be it our families, friends, community, or even lives. It breaks all barriers and boundaries.
So, when we love beyond the confounds of our caste, the threat to this archaic system is exponential. This is why inter-caste couples face a high rate of violence and social ostracisation. Runaway couples and honour killings being a regular phenomenon for South Asians is a reflection of this.
The simple reality is that intercaste relationships show the potential for restrictive and oppressive hierarchies to fade away. Mixing identities till man-made boundaries disappear paves the way for a new world where people can defined by themselves, rather than ancient discriminatory traditions.
Love has shown to be the only bond strong enough to break the bondage that is caste. Reinstating humanity requires its protection at any cost.
