Marriages are made in heaven???

She was holding a plate full of snacks that she had prepared all afternoon. There were 5-6 of them - she was too nervous to count exactly . She had taken careful steps - as she entered the drawing room with head down and tray in hand - as she was told previously. Everything made her conscious - her saree, their gazes, she was not used to wearing a saree yet . Her heart was pounding harder than a sledgehammer. How she wished to run up to her own room, free herself out of the saree, wear her everyday clothes and relax!! Given a choice she would never have worn the saree , she would have agreed to wear a salwar kameez. Why was she going through the drill mechanically? She was told to; it was about time she got married.....

This is not a scene from some big banner family movie. Look around you, ask yourself- all of us have been a part of (or the main feature of) this meeting . The meeting that starts off a looooong sequele of several meetings, which probably leads to either rejection or several ceremonies, one major ceremony and sometimes " happily ever after..."

It all starts with some elderlies in the society coming together and sharing a number of photos of eligibles. It reminds me of the cool WWE or Cricket star collections kids carry in their pockets- with achievements and all written behind the snap. Snaps are excanged, then looks are excanged, then words are excanged n finally come the rings followed by kisses or "Kabul hai" or garlands!

The fact that amazes me the most is that Indians are so positive and how they always hope for "New n Improved" ! For starters, the eligible spinsters wish for a Ranbir Kapoor look-alike (these days) , with the intellect of a scientist , an income of Tatas /Birlas but muscles like Arnold!!! I say girls open your eyes and look around! I think Indian scientists should stop clonning something like dolly and start cloning a man with all the above requirements! Make a gene bhelpuri! Ask a girl and she will tell you the fantastic details of what might comprise her dream guy.

The bachelors are one step ahead. And their "I am looking for " list is hilarious! If I were the curator of the LOUVRE, I would have displayed some of these manuscripts ! Even if the guy is darker than charcoal , he wants nothing less than a "fair n lovely" ! He wants a combo of "Sunder Sushil Gharelu " who also earns ! Tell me guys, if a girl works 10 hours a day in the office, travels in the scorching heat and dusty weather, how will she still glow like you dream girl Karina or Katrina? And complexion is a genetic trait, so you can get a made to order gal by genetic engineering.

And thats not all, then there are the moms of bachelors and dads of spinsters! Both entities will scrutinise "subjects of interests" from head to toe. They count their toes and fingers and check for any scars or signs of "ugliness" - a point the other party is deliberately trying to hide. How easily people forget that they are not perfect either! The way they try to "win " the best bride (or groom for that matter) - something they can show off later, digusts me in some cases.

And then comes the religious match making process which consists of kundalis, the opinion of some religious head for caste- creed- religion matching. So what if its the 21st century? If blood groups need to be matched, toh yeh toh zindagi bhar ke saath ka saval hai bhai!

Then comes the grand finale! After much ado the match is "arranged" and at the wedding we overhear the in-laws saying lawfully . "Marriages are made in heaven".