Introduction
Cultural customs are an institution in themselves. They exhibit the true colors of society and differentiate one region from another. Taking a cue from the above statement, I’ve thrown some light on the institution of marriage, with special regards to an Indian setup. Over here, the institution of marriage can well be compared as an antonym to its western counterpart. While the concept is ironic in certain ways, it mainly focuses on divulging the hidden secrets of a rich cultural norm, which otherwise, would have remained under the veil of uncertainty.
Irony of Marriages in an Indian Set Up
According to iloveindia (2009), a cultural norm is often defined as a state wherein you cannot initiate a thought or execute an action. In this scenario, you happen to be a slave of a creation, which happened to be an ethos of a set of principles that have been brought down, preserved and executed for a fairly long time. Taking a cue from the above statement, it would not be incorrect to state that a cultural norm is an occurrence that has no beginning and no end. It has been created in the ancient past and it is deemed to continue for generations to come. If we take the example of attending a marriage of a loved one, we would all agree that in accordance to the cultural norms, you need to attend the engagement ceremony, become a part of the main marriage ceremony and finally bless and congratulate the newly married couple by becoming an active part of the reception dinner.
Taking a cue, from the above paragraph, let us now expand the above-mentioned thoughts and streamline these ideas into a single stream of thought, backed by appropriate action. Over here, we would choose a single cultural norm, which, as mentioned in the introductory paragraph, would continue to be the institution of marriage. In this scenario, we would be taking into consideration a specific country and unlike a broad perspective, we would be zeroing in on a particularly interesting aspect of marriage, which, unlike the previous view, would concentrate on the method through which an individual is forced to choose his/her partner. Let me now take this discussion forward and throw light on this intriguing aspect by citing a specified example in an Indian setup.
Most people are not familiar with an Indian marriage. Unlike what you all thought, this is not the name of a Hollywood blockbuster in the making. On the contrary, it deals with a specific aspect, which is ironically hidden from the rest of the world but is satirically prevalent in a typical Indian setup. The reason why I attached humor to the entire concept is that this particular aspect of marriage is ironic when compared with the global model. While in the west, a marriage is said to be a freedom of choice, wherein a partner has all the rights to choose a partner, regardless of gender, in India, marriages are supposed to be “made in heaven.” Ironical isn’t it. Please do not get perturbed; for the statement does not imply that God almighty, would be forced to relinquish his heavenly thrown each time he is supposed to find a suitable match, for that would hardly leave any time for him to sit on it. On the contrary, it is a belief, which can well be attributed to the rigidity of an Indian cultural norm that forces its followers to believe that the institution of marriage is indeed a handiwork of the almighty (Kamat, 2009).
If we are to take a closer look at this cultural norm, we would need to explain the entire episode through the means of a practical example. Let us take an example wherein a young couple has reached the ripe age of marriage and is on the lookout for the ideal companion. Now, unlike their western counterparts, who would ideally seek each other on a personal basis, which in turn could either be in a movie hall, a bowling court, a pub, in the office, or at the golf course, an Indian couple would hardly interact before their marriage. Over here, it is the parents who act as sacred matchmakers. Taking this example further, we can categorically state that an ideal marriage ceremony in an Indian setup, involves the need for a girls’ parent to seek a suitable match for their aging girl, by paying a visit to the boy’s parents. Over here, it is the parents who decide the future bride and groom. They are the final decision-makers and at that particular moment, it is the parents who act as the final decision-makers, stating, by the cultural norms, that it is the will of the almighty which is forcing them to act in the best interest of their children. Over here, the children have no right to reject a groom, or a bride, which has been selected by their respective parents. According to country studies (2009), in case they happen to oppose their parent’s choice, they are branded as social outcasts and looked upon as disrupters of an ancient cultural norm.
Conclusion
If I am to give a personalized opinion on this kind of a setup, I would never mince my words and would clearly state that unless and until a boy and the girl is allowed to meet and interact, an institution of marriage would be no less than a case of forced opinion, that has been formulated by the parents and shielded as a will of the almighty in the armory of a stoic cultural norm.