How Important is Community for Indian Singles When It Comes to Marriage?

In India, back in the day, there was no other option but to marry within the community. Usually, the parents would fix everything and the children would marry the one chosen for them, no questions asked. Rarely, people opposed or ‘dared’ to seek companionship outside their community. However, since then, things have changed considerably. Globalization has changed the outlook of many people. Men and women today are taking the driver’s seat to choose their own partner and want to have a say about who they get married to, whether it is within or outside the community. In fact, 81% of women want to take control of their matchmaking process today.

So, What Do Indian Singles Want?

More Indians are getting around to the concept of planned marriage, where they take their time to get to know one another even before the engagement is announced. They seek love but they also seek compatibility. Or, in the words of Shah Rukh Khan, in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, “Pyaar dosti hai. Agar who meri sab se achchi dost nahin ban sakti, to main use kabhi pyar kar hi nahi sakta.” Getting along with your future partner and being like friends are taking the centre stage now more than ever.

This outlook is also pushing many Indian singles to choose people of their own community, to build a peaceful future where agreements outweigh disagreements. Whether it is their fast-paced lifestyle that allows them little time to mingle with anyone or the family pressure of marrying within the community, a large number of Indian singles continue to opt for planned marriages.

One such large-sample survey is the one conducted by Lok Foundation-Oxford University, administered by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). It states that, until January 2018, 93% of respondents said they married within the community. Many community matrimonial websites are doing well as they are providing the platform to make it easy for people to connect with each other or call it quits if they fail to build a connection over a few conversations.

Marrying Within the Community

The fact that so many Indians are choosing to marry within the community may make you wonder as to what makes it such a viable option. Well, according to them, here are some of the benefits of marrying in the same community:

• You will speak the same language as your partner and his or her family. So, when you attend a family gathering, you won’t feel left out and will be able to add your two cents to the conversation as well.
• Adjusting with someone who has the same cultural values, beliefs and traditions is easier. You don’t have to worry about saying or doing anything inappropriate. These values and traditions would have been a part of your life since childhood, and so, you will know your way around them.
• There may not be a drastic change in your diet after marriage. Hence, it will be easier for you to adjust.
• A marriage in India is not just a union of two souls, but of two families as well. And even today, parents are more accepting of same-community marriages, since when people of similar cultures mingle, it is easier to get along.

India is a kaleidoscope of communities and cultures, each of them beautiful in its own unique way. So, seeking a life partner from your own community through planned marriage or community matrimonial platforms may just seem like a match made in heaven.