Marriage Market and the emotions attached with it.
The arrange marriage market in India is a big business deal. With Chetan Bhagat who sold his story of classmates making love and having a life together to Dhoni featuring in the ads of matrimonial site, it all alludes the marriage market in India. No wonder, Dhoni is fighting a court case for 40 crore ad deal with Shapoorji Real Estates, under the name of his wife Sakshi?
I sometimes wonder, do all these popular people have money at the back of their mind when they engage in any relationships, be it professional or personal?
For all the people working in International business consulting, the working environment is fierce. People are ambitious and are very competitive. The initial years at consulting is glorious with lots of money, business class air travel and meeting the top level CXOs of fortune 500 companies across APAC, EMEA and Americas market. APAC being the biggest consumer market, doesn’t receive much of the glare of young consultants enjoying the lavishes. This can be seen in Americas market. I mean, whatever it is, my gyan on market is not necessary. The thing is, how the career (read professional ‘business’ affiliations) are shaping the way the relationships and the conversations, under its name are happening. People want to ‘marry up’. Be it male or female. Wait, it is a western trend, which has divorce rates more than 47%?
Whatever the case is, we love it. Who doesn’t love more comforts?
This is taking a hit on our generation looking the beautiful idea — an institution called marriage with skepticism. The idea, which our parent’s generation termed spiritual process of understanding another soul (soul-mate concept).
It is all viewed in the lens of the career success and financial independence. This was all expected, as the constant comparing between cousins of same age on marks in school to the colleges they went to, then to the companies and the money that are associated with it, by the previous generation. This constant comparing has led the present set of youngsters in their 20s to look at marriage as a trade deal. I question myself, wasn’t it a trade deal during my parent’s time. It was, maybe. But I see the trade negotiations happening right now, in my own life.
Data — a new horcrux for all the 20s population, who are discovering their sexual desires and their physical liking(s) in the opposite sex, much to the presence of data and amazing bull shit that is present on the internet. All is good, but too much good isn’t good.
The amount of emotional energy spent in making the above trade deals is enormous. The constant verbal exchanges (peaceful and respectful only chill) between the male and the female, is like a Sudoku game or maybe even more complex than that.
A friend said — you need to pay a price for everything, not necessary that it has to be monetary, but you need to pay a price. But when you don’t expect a to be paid back, that you’re giving and unconditional.
There is love.
(Don’t worry, it is still a trade of some sort!)
