RELEVANCE: 3.5/5
RESEARCH: 2.5/5
WRITING STYLE: 3/5
ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3/5
What is it about arranged marriages that people are always so scared to take that leap of faith and give into it?
Why is it that we prefer the comfort zone of a known person in a love marriage than getting to know the stranger in an arranged marriage?
And even though, they (arranged marriages) come with their own set of disadvantages, why do people still opt for them?
In the modern Indian context, arranged marriages have become somewhat like a counterpart of western dating sites wherein decisions are made and marriages fixed only after ensuring minimum compatibility between the couples.
In Hitched: The Modern Woman and Arranged Marriage, Nandini Krishnan interviews many women, all from different walks of life and coming from different cultural backgrounds, talking about their experiences in an arranged marriage setup.
These experiences range right from the initial talks to the first meetings to the marriage itself and eventually life after marriage. These brave and brilliant ladies tell you all about the dos and donโts of arranged marriages and what exactly it takes to make a marriage click.
But wait, this is not all; this book will also give you insights on how to manage yourselves, how to conduct yourselves, how to behave in a family set-up and just about how to do anything which is of matter in an arranged marriage.
One gets all this โGyanโ not in the traditional self-help book kind of way, but through the numerous fun-filled and exciting anecdotes from the many interviewees who this book so candidly engages into frank and honest conversations.
What I really enjoyed in Hitched was its approach to arrange marriage, not as a necessary evil (considered by many) but as something to take as a challenge, something which can be easily fine-tuned to oneโs own requirement and benefit.
I also liked the way the many interviewees shared their own experiences about their arranged marriages.
The fact that each interviewee had faced a different set of factors and situations in her marriage and that the same was tweaked to suit the probable needs of the readers was also worth appreciating.
The women who open up range from diverse backgrounds, from a Muslim from North East India to a Tamilian Iyer who was based in Mumbai, from an artist to a housewife, from a lady who had to settle abroad after marriage to an army wife, from women who married very young to women who waited long enough to be sure before taking this leap of faith.
I also liked the fact that the author has included conversations with men as well. These conversations, as is quite obvious, are about their expectations from an arranged marriage and their experience about the same.
All in all, Hitched: The Modern Woman and Arranged Marriage is quite enjoyable and seems like a fun-filled roller-coaster ride, wild enough to drive you crazy and mature enough to keep you sane.
I would rate the book three out of five stars, and recommend it to not only single ladies, but to all ladies married or unmarried as it definitely tells you about all that is to know about arranged marriages.