Many people in the United States have grown up with the concept of "romantic love". However, there are other parts of the world where the concept of arranged marriages is the norm. These marriages result in lasting and satisfying relationships between husband and wife. Some key elements of arranged marriages are that parents know you best, economic security and no social pressure to make it work. Since, the family plays a big role to arrange the marriage, they also play a big role to make it a success. .
It is clear that the concept itself is controversial. Some people find it cold and unromantic to choose your lifelong partner using this method. Most young people tend to believe that the only way to choose a mate is to date until you fall in love plan a wedding and get married. This point of view is not very realistic if we define marriage as a lifelong commitment. If the young marriage is based on love alone the soon to be adults may grow together based on other similarities or goals they have identified, or may grow apart because they have found nothing else to keep them together (Kapadia 50). It is safe to say that marriages will have a better chance for success in the love concept if there are countless qualities in common with your future partner (Kapadia 53).
In a traditional Indian arranged marriage there is a matchmaker called a Nayan (Prakasa 21). The Nayan is normally a family friend or distant relative who serves as a neutral go-between when families are trying to arrange a marriage. Some families with marriageable age children may prefer not to approach possible matches with a marriage proposal because communication between families could break down, and could result in accidental disrespect between the two families (Ahmad 68). Matchmakers can serve two functions: marriage scouts, who set out to find possible matches, and as negotiators, people who negotiate between families.
