Dear yenta

While flipping through the local paper, I came across a section called "matrimonials" where singles post classified ads in the hope of finding a husband or wife. Here's a sampling:

WANTED MBA boy based in India highly placed pref. Consulting/IBank FR. B'ful, slip, fair, 24/155, NM, convent Edu. MBA girl working MNC (7 fig. slry) frm Gurgaon based well estb Singhal fmly.

DELHI Sikh Software Engineer Working in Top Indian MNC 28 yrs/5'9" Salary RS 17 Lakhs Per Year Girls should be Beautiful

In addition to the "seeking grooms" and "seeking brides" ads, there's a section called "marriage bureau" where matchmakers offer their services, some specializing in divorcees and others in widowers.

Marriage clearly is an important cultural institution here in India. Women wear a bindi on their foreheads to announce their married status and I personally have been asked numerous times whether or not I'm married since my own arrival.

One of my co-workers told me the story of how he and his wife were married in secret for more than one year because they came from different castes and neither family approved of the union. During this time, each of the couple's parents tried to match them with appropriate spouses, but they obviously resisted. Their weeks were spent apart, but on one day each weekend they could spend time as a couple. Finally, both sets of parents relented and they are planning a proper wedding ceremony.

Another co-worker described the stress his family felt around setting his brother up with a girl to be married. They'd met recently and over the next few weeks each of the couple's family would meet each other. The marriage is happening next month, after only a few weeks' "courtship period."