Friday, 17 September 2021

Whats Love Got To Do With It?

In a story that tells you all you need to know about arranged marriages ....

Manjesh Kumar And His Arranged Tragic Bride Surbhi

.... and the often loveless state that its entered in to in some cultures (and probably how much like property women are often regarded as well). 

In June 2021 Manjesh Kumar was about to get married to his arranged wife, Surbhi, and they had posed for the first pre-ceremony pictures. Tragically Surbhi, suffered a heart attack, and died after the doctor who was called to the Hindu wedding, was unable to revive her. Now in most cultures that would have been enough for the wedding to be called off, and everyone to go home, distraught and upset by such a terrible thing. 

Luckily The Answer Was In The Room .....

But not in Etawah, India .... both the families of Manjesh and poor Surbhi, turned around and required her sister Nisha to take her place as Manjesh's bride ... its not clear if Nisha had a choice in the matter. They put Surbhi's body in another room, and apparently without barely missing a beat, the wedding proceeded with the replacement bride ... they later cremated Surbhi. 

When asked about this, an uncle Ajab Singh said that although it was a difficult decision, it was for the best ... although he did add that "We have never witnessed such mixed emotions. The grief over her death and the happiness of the wedding has yet to sink in". Poor Surbhi's brother, when asked said that "Its hard to believe a dead body was in the other room - and a bride was being prepared in the next." 

Its speculated that the pressure to proceed with a wedding of any sort, was partly driven by the groom's family having been expecting a dowry from the brides family, and also that they would have wanted to avoid the stigma of returning from a wedding without a bride. Its not clear why the brides family were quite so keen, but perhaps the fact that they would be able to use the dowry already raised for daughter number one for daughter number two, and thus save on one dowry had some hand in their compliance? 

Or perhaps they just didn't want to waste the reception booking? But I think its fair to say that many people outside of India found this story hard to believe, or that these families could act like this ....

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