“In India’s urban, middle-class families, arranged marriages are still quite common, and the prospective spouses both have “vetos””
Sounds more like a blind date than an arranged marriage
One of my coworkers is Indian and had an arranged marriage. It looks like it works just fine. I have often think when I look at similar girls her age that they might have done better if a mature person had helped them make a better decision about a life partner.
My next door neighbor runs an Neonatal ICU. Wife former bigwig computer expert, MIT, retired pre-boom with serious $$$.
Both Indian. Arranged marriage. Three sons.
We drink beer periodically in my back yard. My wife is a doctor at his hospital.
I have many daughters (and only daughters).
He and his wife were a little tipsy and stated that we had beautiful daughters, they were all very smart and strong, and that his sons were willing to convert to Judaism to marry them. He knew the ins-and-outs of Orthodox coversion, gained on the internet.
He was very interested in having Jewish grandchildren.
It was pretty surprising.
That said, these are good boys, smart (each one top of the class), lovely to my daughters (as they all run around and push each other into the pool), and I like the parents very much.
I would not be overly surprised if it works out.
I’ll report back in 15 years.
“Sounds more like a blind date than an arranged marriage”
That is a good analogy and sort of how it’s supposed to work. Family members, usually parents, try and find a match based on what they know of you and of the other person too (compatibility, family background, religion, etc) and then see how you get along. Of course this does not mean the Hollyweird way of finding out, i.e. hopping in to bed the first time you meet someone (or any time before marriage!) :)
Of course as in all human endeavors there are always people who bend the rules for their own purposes and it becomes a money game for some or a way to get rid of girls etc, but that is not how it’s supposed to be.
Done properly it works out quite well, has worked for my parents who just celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary, and has worked well for me, my 8th anniversary will be next week.
But this child marriage stuff is wrong and glad this little girl stood up to it. I guess we can assume they were Hindu and not Religion of ‘Piece’ (tm) advocates or she would probably be dead as opposed to her parents acquiescing to her demands.