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Marriage
"He said that the only thing he wants is for me to be good to my mother and marry a South Indian Brahmin boy."
By Ankitha Bharadwaj
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Youth Radio's Ankitha Bharadwaj reflects on her familie's traditional South Indian views of marriage. While her single mother says Ankitha is free to marry whoever she wants, her grandfather has other plans, and encourages her to marry a "good, Brahmin boy." But Ankitha is still hoping for a fairy tale romance in which she is free to choose the one she loves. (December 17 on KCBS)
During my childhood, I watched Disney movie after Disney movie in which the girl always got the guy.
That led me to believe that a prince charming could pop out of the tube into real life, waltz down the street and sweep me off my feet. Sure it’s possible, unless you live in India.
For the longest time, arranged marriages were all the rage in India...and marriages based on love were rare. As far as my mom’s concerned, she’s given me the complete freedom to fall in love, and get married to whom I wish. But my grandpa has strict guidelines about whom I should marry.
He sat me down, and told me that my transformation into this “American”, is completely okay...but he said that the only thing he wants is for me to be good to my mother and marry a South Indian Brahmin boy. You know, the kind of guy who has a say in who my friends are, what I wear, where I go...the usual.
When I see my mom’s friends call their husbands “honey” or “sweetheart”, I feel like there’s hope out there for me also. And maybe, that I’m destined to have a Disney movie romance as well.
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