Single in Abad? Shun meat if you want marriage

A survey shows that caste, colour no longer matter to eligible Amdavadis
Devanshi Joshi. Ahmedabad/DNA

Sunday, June 01, 2008
Caste no bar, colour no bar, but we certainly want vegetarians and working professionals. A recent partner preference survey carried out by a popular online marriage portal of around 2,000 Amdavadi boys and girls has revealed a surprising trend that city youngsters are not very concerned about marrying in their own caste and even the popular perception of fair complexion does not matter, but they insist that the prospective spouse should be a vegetarian!In the trend of cosmopolitan culture, 50% boys and 67% girls said they were open to inter-caste marriage as the chemistry with the partner matters more than caste. However, 50% of Amdavadi boys and 67% girls said they necessarily want a vegetarian partner. Gujarati boys apparently defy the popular Indian myth of having a fair bride as a trophy wife. A whopping 66.7% of the boys said having a fair complexioned spouse doesnt matter and 55.6% of girls expressed indifference to skin colour. The survey conducted by Shaadi.com has brought out another heartening trend of marriage candidates preferring a working professional for a wife vis-à-vis a full-time homemaker. As many as 42% boys preferred a working life partner and 55.6% of girls said they would like to continue working after marriage. Significantly, not a single girl refused a career, the rest said they were not sure, indicating willingness to accept in-laws wishes.Amdavadi girls were, however, divided on their choice of settling abroad. The blinding desire of young girls to settle in the US has been replaced by reluctance of abandoning the comforts of hometown. 22.2% of the girls said they did not want to settle abroad, while 44.4% said they were not sure and 33.3% answered in affirmative. Sociologist Gaurang Jani says the survey brings out the conservative yet modernist face of the city youths mindset. “Gujarati society has two faces - one contemporary at the same time another conservative. Definitely, education and cosmopolitan culture have impacted youths thinking, but parents and family might have a different opinion than that of the respondents. But its good that the new generation is attempting to change the traditional mind set of society.”Dharmishta Nanawati, an owner of Swayamvar Marriage bureau in Ambawadi, said “These days boys and girls look for a smart life partner, having good educational background and social status. Things like caste and physical appearance dont matter much as they believe in chemistry more than other criteria. Youngsters are becoming more open up about their partner preferences at the same parents are also playing a supportive role.”Said Vibhas Mehta, business head of Shaadi.com, “Our survey busts a lot of myths. For example, we have heard that marriage with the same caste candidate is of prime importance while arranging a match, however, most of the youngsters today believe that compatibility is more important for making a happy marriage than caste.”