Currently, online dating is without a doubt the biggest and most popular method of finding love. Checking out potential partners who suit your needs and preferences from the comfort of your home beats wasting time on pointless dates any day of the week.
But how far does this trend go in India, a country that’s all too familiar with arranged marriage? Today, we’ll look into the online dating phenomenon and the impact it had on India.
Old But Gold
The idea of arranged marriage isn’t actually as bad as it sounds, and brings a number of things to the table.
First off, there’s safety. When a couple is set for a wedding in India, the usual reason for those exact two people getting married is mutual benefits. The families of both parties get something out of it, especially if they are well-off.
Now you’re wondering: “Arranged marriage should be a thing of the past, right?” Although the western society has long abandoned the idea, it’s still going strong in India not only as a tradition, but also as a way of life.
So, does online dating impact this? Is there a way for the steadiness of arranged marriage and the freedom of dating services to exist in the same country simultaneously?
Read on to find out the answer.
Two Sides Of The Same Coin
To give an simple answer: yes. However, things are rarely that simple, especially in a gigantic, overpopulated country such as India.
Truth be told, there are still many who speak against online dating sites in India. They consider this to be taboo and tradition-breaking, especially considering that there are many dating sites that are of sexual nature.
Nonetheless, the online dating trend is still very much there. In fact, India is probably one of the top countries when it comes to both the number of individual sites and the number of registered users.
Despite the long-running tradition of arranged marriage, Indian people between 20 and 40 years of age aren’t that hesitant to join the modern trend. Surely, respecting your family’s wishes and needs is important, but is it really worth sacrificing your own freedom?
At this point, both online dating and arranged marriage have their fans in India. Although the latter might be just a tad bit dominant, dating services still show signs of popularity as the number of users increases each day.
The most interesting fact about this whole ordeal is that this situation gave birth to a new breed of dating websites which skip the whole romance thing and go straight to marriage! In other words, this conflict created a whole new hybrid that has all the strengths and none of the weaknesses of online dating and arranged marriage.
Bottom line is: online dating is a thing in India. It’s a modern, efficient, and most importantly, a process based on free will rather than gain.