Indian women have long been considered meek individuals who toe the line drawn by their parents and elders, with no opinion of their own. But times have changed – for the better, and they no longer are timid, weak creatures who bow down to societal norms and color inside the lines, even when their lives are on the line. Indian women have always been ambitious, but now, they’re more assertive about their decisions and can decide for themselves as to what is right and what is not.
Image source: Shutterstock
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Take this example of Lovely Singh, a bride from Rasoolabad village in northern Uttar Pradesh. She was all set to marry the person whom her parents had chosen for her. During the ceremony, she asked her husband-to-be a simple question, to assess his math skills. But when the groom got the simple addition wrong, she walked out, suspicious of his professed educational qualifications.
The question she asked: How much is 15 plus 6?
The groom’s reply: 17!
Despite many pleas and attempts at persuading Lovely to return to the ceremony, she refused, saying that she had been misled about his education.
Mohar Singh, Lovely’s father, supported and defended his daughter, and accused the groom’s family of hiding the truth of his educational qualifications.
“Just before the marriage ceremony Lovely came to know that Ram Baran is illiterate and she refused to marry,” he told BBC Hindi.
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Further, he said,
“The groom’s family kept us in the dark about his poor education. Even a first grader can answer this.”
One of the friends of Lovely said that she had done well at school.
“She is good at her studies. She wished to get married to an educated boy,” said her friend.
Local police intervened and mediated between the families, upon which both sides returned all the gifts and jewelry exchanged before the wedding.
This incident comes in the wake of another brave Uttar Pradesh bride, who married a wedding guest when the intended groom had a seizure and collapsed at the wedding venue.
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Apparently, the groom’s family had concealed the fact that he was epileptic. While the groom was rushed to the hospital in Rampur town to be treated, the bride asked one of the wedding guests to step in as the groom, and married him.
Although arranged marriages are on a steady decline, many marriages are still arranged by the families of the groom and bride in India. And they seldom get to know each other before the wedding, except for brief meetings.
This brave bride has our best wishes in her search for the groom who’s suitable for her. Bravo!
Featured image source: Shutterstock
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