When it comes to marriage, Jane Austen's words echo:
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
That was 18th-century England anyway. But the modern scenario is a mushy canvas of inter-cultural and inter-faith unions. In India, arranged marriages are prevalent, focusing on factors like religion, caste, social status, wealth, and horoscope matching. Yet, change is afoot, and marriage remains inevitable.
The turning point: Love Marriage or Arranged Marriage.
As a girl, I contemplate the changes in a girl’s life. Inherent motherly qualities emerge, regardless of the type of marriage. The cloud of thoughts on pros and cons disperses, leaving me pondering the elders' view that arranged marriages are more successful. But are love marriages not? And I’d like to think at least it will be like, Khalil Gibran wrote:
“Let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.”
― Khalil Gibran, The Prophet
And then how can I forget William Shakespeare's Sonnet CXVI (116) which I'm going to study this year:
Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
And then, there's the nail-biting suspense of encountering the guy who'll not only sweep me off my feet but also rearrange my furniture—talk about multitasking! As a hopeless romantic, I'll be here, twiddling my thumbs, waiting for that cinematic moment of realizing he's the one. In the meantime, I'll kick back, throw my feet up, and contemplate the intricate soap opera of love and marriage. Who knew finding Mr. Right could be such a sit-back-and-chill affair? :-P
To know more: www.facebook.com/LoveYaArrange.
P.S. Image source: Google.
P.S.S. This post is written for Indiblogger: Love Marriage ya Arranged Marriage
