The Docket

“Arranged marriage culture” is so strongly intertwined with Indian wedding culture that they are sometimes indistinguishable. The failure to separate the two can often result in negative stereotyping of the diverse South Asian diaspora into one monolith with the idea that all Indians have arranged marriages. Which is bizarre, because if you talk to anyone from India, they’ll tell you of the legendary love stories of Radha-Krishna or Heer-Ranjha. Or if you’re a Bollywood fan, then you’re certainly familiar with the saga of Raj and Simran. Sometimes, this stereotyping about arranged marriage leads to false and harmful conclusions, like the Indian tradition of “more input” when matchmaking leads to lower divorce rates and happier marriages.

— Harshwinder Kaur, Arranged for Who? A Response to the Committee and the Cowboy