Every child grows up with a lot of dreams and aspirations about Life. Landing in a job of your choice can make your parents very happy and proud. But that's all for a while, if you are a girl. They start troubling you with the marriage talks just when you start exploring the world. Let me share my opinion about this marriage market!

"We are growing old. Getting you married is the only thing we are worried about". So, you just want to get me married? What if I don't like the good-looking, money-making robot that you marry me to? What if he turns out to be gay? Oh, that cannot happen, because your astrologer said so!

Alright. Just for their happiness, I permit them to start looking for my "soul-mate". My dad takes my photo and goes to a matrimony centre, gives my photo and it got rejected by the manager. He asked for a "better" picture of mine. Come on. That photo has got 100 likes in facebook! He asked my dad to get a picture where I was wearing a Saree, lot of jewels, hair plated and flowers on it. Basically, he wanted a photo from the 1980s. Why should I portray myself as someone who I am not!

Not being able to respond to any of my questions, Dad asks, "How am I going to get you married?" Lately, this has become my Dad's response for every single thing I say. I'm getting a haircut; I'm going for dinner; I'm going to my friend's place. Why should everything revolve around marriage?

On the top of all these is the Dowry concept. Why does marriage involve money, car, house, gold, platinum?  Is it an entry fee for the bride to enter the groom's family? What kind of business is this?? What hurts me is, even educated people don't seem to get it! Why should the girl be covered with Gold ornaments(most of which she will never wear again in her life time) ? Why not invest this money in something else, say shares or house? Oh, that's a prestige issue. The people who attend your wedding will not get to see the price tag on your neck.

Though everyone agrees that Dowry is a shameful concept, when it comes to their son/daughter, they are not ready to change. Honestly I feel there's no prestige in giving/taking dowri. You've gotta be ashamed of it.

"I can understand what you say. But 4 baer 4 vidama pesuvanga(4 people might speak about it in 4 different ways)"

Your daughter's happiness has always been your top priority till she turned 21. But now, all you are worried about is some 4 people's opinion. I don't know who those 4 jobless people are.

Be the change you want to be!

PS: My Dad is super awesome and he tries to understand my arguments, though he is from another generation. I feel sorry for some of my friends whose folks are not ready to listen to any of these arguments.