India had all of the finer luxuries in modern life. Cable and internet are available. There is air conditioning and hot water (not that you need hot water when you visit in the summer). Yet I found their way of life remains very simple. The communities are close knit and family oriented.
Family sharing a meal
Everyone gathers in the morning for tea and also in the afternoon and again in the evening. People here hug…a lot! Everyone is very affectionate and families all work together for the greater good of the household. Whenever you enter someones home, they bring you a cold drink followed by a hot drink and some sweets.
Tea and traditional Punjabi biscuits
Things like arranged marriages are considered outdated in Westernized society, and most people in my world see it as something forced or liberties taken away. Here people are happy to be in arranged marriages and stay together for all their lives. People work very hard to keep their relationships together.
Family working the rice fields together
No one knows you better than your family and they usually go through many pains to make sure the correct spouse is chosen. You get the opportunity to grow into love as opposed to falling into it headfirst. The result is a stronger bond for both the spouses and their families and also for the community. I am a firm believer that marriages are stronger and last longer because the families and community are involved. More work, effort and energies are put forth from so many parties that makes arranged marriages stronger and they start off with an initially better foundation.
Don’t get me wrong, I am also a firm believer in love! I have the joy of being in a love-marriage as opposed to an arranged marriage. That being said, I am still think that arranged marriages get a bad wrap.
A Sikh Indian Wedding Couple
In India, families get together and shower the bride and groom with money. While this may seem like a display of wealth, it is more of a preparation for a bride and groom to have a head start with their finances. Everyone gives whatever they can afford and the couple gets to begin their new life a little better off.
Families are very important and I think Westerners could take a lesson from the simpler way of life. Being part of a family is hard work. It was never an easy thing. People have disagreements, they fight, they hurt each other, but at the end of the day, you make up and you remain family. You support each other and you stick together. Progress and success happens a lot faster when you have a group of people working towards a common goal.
