There’s no doubt that arranged marriages are a tricky business. Apart from an awkward silence, there are a series of bizarre questions that are asked to the groom. Here are some men who revealed the most unreasonable questions they were asked during their arranged ‘rishta‘ meeting and trust us, some of these would really piss you.
Are you ready? Read on.
1. “We recently met a family. The girl looked fine and even her profile was fine. They met us, the families seemed to hit it off reasonably well. Everything was fine until the girl’s father asked to see my salary slip. For a slight moment, I was shocked. I make around 12 LPA and in fact, we told the girl’s family the exact salary, down to the last digit. But the fact that they don’t believe me and want to see the actual payslip seems a little… offensive.”
2. “My cousin is a 28-year-old bald guy. I’m not being mean but just honestly he was very below average. The girl he met was a journalist, very good looking and she first denied him seeing his pictures. But later came to know his wealth and married him within 3 months.”
3. “I am from Bihar, educated from one of the IIMs with a decent package (25+). My father owns a construction company, my mom is a professor and we own lots of ancestral property. I got a call from my uncle’s friend and he is AGM in a well known PSU and an educated person. He brought a rishta for me and straight away told my family that they were searching for someone who earns more than 20 lakhs and comes from a well to do family. By well to do, they meant someone who inherits lots of property. They even said that their daughter is an independent girl and would like to stay with her in-laws. Also, her husband should not interfere with her personal belongings like her salary and give personal space to her.”
4. “I once matched with this woman on a matrimony website. She wanted to talk to me over the phone first. So we exchanged numbers and she called me. She got straight to the point and told me that she has some non-negotiable conditions. She said, “I do not want us to live with your parents.” Now, this is probably a reasonable ask in today’s time and age. But coming from someone who has neither met me nor my parents, it seemed a bit unreasonable. And then came the best part. She said, “If you are okay with these conditions, then I will ask my mom to call your parents and take this further.” This was a laugh-out-loud moment for me. This “modern” woman did not want us to meet for a cup of coffee and get to know each other and didn’t think it was important to ask me what I did for work or outside of it. I had already decided I didn’t need this woman or this kind of woman in my life.”
5. “I had a phase where my mom looked for alliances through matrimonial sites. So, I liked one profile and I asked my mom to initiate the conversation. My mom contacted the girl’s mother and right after introducing herself, the very first thing she got asked is “What do you have?”. I was sitting across in the same room and I knew it right away because my mom was innocently answering our property details. I was shocked. I made her hang up the phone and made her understand that the family on the other side does not deserve to take this any further. I will always remember that call.”
6. “I had a cousin who was looking for a match. He found a girl and after meeting my cousin, she messaged him that “We have to say no. You are all fine but you do not have parents”.
7. “I recently went to my friend’s home, as a casual family visit. Her mother was casually discussing their conditions including how she would NEVER cook after marriage and the groom should. The guy should have at least 6 crores of property and should stay in her house with her parents but he can visit his parents once every 3 months. Also, he should be the only child and all the properties must be under his name. Apart from that, he has to be very handsome and has to earn a minimum of 1 lakh per month.”
8. “I had a friend who was looking for a match and met a girl. After meeting, she texted my friend “Sorry, we have to say no. We are looking for a family without in-laws tensions.”
9. “I am 34, a male from South India. I contacted a girl via the matrimony chat window after she accepted my request. After the initial 2 minute conversation, she started asking for personal details like how much property do you have? I need the exact number in crores because we do not accept alliances who have property below 6 crores.” I was like bye.”
10. “I eloped with my wife because her parents were against our relationship because my parents earned less than them. I was asked to stop doing my business and give up on 42 lakhs per year because they wanted me to do my MBA from a 3rd tier college and settle for a ‘stable’ job that pays 25–30k per month. They also demanded that I shouldn’t buy a car and should travel by bus as travelling by bus is safer. Also, I shouldn’t travel with my wife alone because the country is very unsafe for women and should always travel with my or her parents.”
11. “The girl I was talking to demanded that her groom should earn more than 25 lakhs (even though she wasn’t working).”
12. “Well, one of my cousin’s daughters is a software engineer and they were looking for potential matches for her. Her demands were that her groom should be the only child of his parents and they should not stay with their son. If he has sisters, he wouldn’t take the responsibility for their education or marriage. The boy should be passed out from a premier institution and must be earning six figures per month. It will be up to her if she wished to work or not after the marriage. The guy should be taller by at least 3 inches and should not force her to cook. Lastly, he should own a house/apartment in Bangalore or in IT hubs.”
Which of the questions do you think were the worst ones to ask in an arranged marriage setup?
