Are arranged marriages back as a force to reckon with?

Rakhi Sawant decided to get go for an arranged marriage a year ago on national television. Then it was the turn of actor Mohnish Behl, who hosted a matrimonial show on television. The same channel went a step further with a reality show to facilitate courtship and marriage between willing participants. A few months ago, Yash Raj’s television also launched a daily soap that deals with a matrimonial website. Now, Rahul Mahajan is treading
Rakhi’s path with his reality show.

Going by this trend, it seems the whole of India has woken up to the concept of arranged marriages. So, are arranged marriages back as a force to reckon with?

Clinical psychologist and relationship expert Seema Hingoranny says, “Many youngsters who have failed in relationships believe that in love marriages one person knows his/her partner’s drawbacks and so there is the possibility of misusing it in future.”

Shruti Seth, who plays a prime character in the Yash Raj television soap, says, “Arranged marriages are a scientific way of people getting together because it tracks two people’s likes and dislikes, family backgrounds, etc.”

Even surveys of shaadi.com, a marriage portal, reveal that more people are opting for arranged marriages now compared to what it was a few years ago. Gourav Rakshit, business head of the portal, says, “In the past 10 years, 85% people have shown willingness to go for an arranged marriage. India has the lowest divorce rate compared to Western countries and arranged marriages do work among Indians. The point is if something is working brilliantly, why people deviate from that,” he says.

On the recent surge of TV shows on arranged marriages, Rakshit says, “For Indians, marriages are the most exciting phase of their life. And this trend reflects that audiences like such shows. So, obviously TV channels that are in search of TRPs get the needful.”

Seema ends it with the right words. She says, “Today people are ready to participate in such shows because they assume that the channels must have done the background check which is like half the job done. Apart from the prospect of finding a partner on TV, they also get to become famous. They get a huge thrill out of it.”