Personality, education, health and fitness take over religion and ethinicity in terms of Indian marriages, says a Delhi based survey
More Indian singles are leaving behind their parents’ pigeon holes of religion, caste and ethnicity and progressing to find ‘smart love’, according to a recent survey by matchmaking website TrulyMadly.com.
The online survey, conducted on 520 singles aged 22 to 35 in tier-I cities—namely Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai—kept parents and society out of the picture to determine “what independent singles feel is important for a stable relationship and marriage”. The survey criteria included education, income, health and fitness, personality, occupation, religion, caste, ethnicity and even being a Mangalik.
Sonal, a 28-year-old lecturer wants “someone with whom I can be myself. I want my partner to be honest, passionate and realistic.” Saurabh Mittal, 33, a delivery manager at a computer technology company is looking for someone “with whom I can connect on common grounds. If that person can’t understand my preferences but is ideal from my parents’ point of view just because she matches my height and caste, I don’t think it will work out,” Mittal says.
Personality (96 per cent) tops the chart when it comes to choosing a partner; big bucks, good looks and education take a backseat. For 25-year-old art director, Abhishek Sharma “someone with a positive attitude and a pleasing personality” is the right match. For 95 per cent of participants, it is essential that their respective partners be well educated. “My partner has to be well educated, as that forms the foundation of a stable career. I don’t want him to be dependent on anyone. Moreover, his educational background will indicate if our thinking is at the same level,” says 28-year-old lawyer, Ishita.
Health and fitness soar above income, religion and ethnicity. Apparently, no one wants to tango with someone with cholesterol or liver problems. Young singles do not have a fixed perception about the job their partners should hold; 88 percent feel that “jobs matter but not entirely”. 26-year-old management professional, Harsha is “not looking for a doctor or engineer; he should be happy with whatever he does, have a stable job and be independent. Yes, good health is a key attribute. After all, the way one thinks, behaves and eats, influences one’s life in later years”.
Shape of the eyes, colour of the skin, etc. does not seem to matter as those surveyed pegged ethnicity at mere 36 per cent. The survey also made it clear that single women or men did not want to marry a tree before tying the knot to ward off the “Mangalik” factor in their horoscope. “I want a partner who values my personality and interests, not how the stars and planets affect my life,” says Bikram Ahuja, a 29-year-old business development executive.
Only 39 per cent of those surveyed felt that it is important to choose a partner from the same religion. “And as it turns out, tall, fair Brahmin girl for successful, Oxford educated Brahmin boy, has become overrated. Caste has become the least important criteria and has been reduced to a mere 35 per cent,” said survey results.
“The individual matters more than caste or religion, which do not define a person’s temperament. Whatever their caste or religion, a person should respect others and not have a closed frame of mind,” says 27-year-old media professional, Shalini Roy.
—PTI DBL ANS
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