BangaLore #2: Seeking doctor groom

Well, not me in particular, but a surprising number of people are. Allow me to explain.

The other day I was reading an Indian magazine and two pages of tiny print after all of the main articles caught my eye. It appeared to be a classified ads section. Upon closer examination, I realized I had been right. The ads were all classifieds…for people.

They represented a type of matrimonial ad I had never seen. I was taken aback by how many women specified that they were seeking "doctor grooms," or men in the field of medicine - indifferently, the way one would ask for a particular ice cream flavor at the supermarket.

Now, I'm not against personal ads, per se, but this nation takes them a little too far. Not just a way for people to meet each other, they've become a venue for young people to market themselves as if they were products.

On top of that, they've become a hobby for the 60-plus female crowd in India. Ever wondered what grandmothers do when they get together? Here, they confer about their eligible young relatives, trade photos of the bachelors and bachelorettes and throw themselves into their matchmaking duties as soon as possible. It's like a business, a marital agency. Looking for love? Give us your name, phone number and photograph, and you could end up on our list of SUCCESSES!

Add this matrimonial mayhem to a country that's already wedding-crazy, and the truth is clear. Marriages are to India what soccer is to Brazil: a national pastime.

With the advent of the "holiday season," here comes the beginning of the wedding season. Street vendors invite customers to their children's nuptials while fifteenth cousins thrice removed attend each other's. At most weddings, half the attendees have never met the bride or groom before, so introductions have to take place at the reception. There's just one little problem…

Everyone is so dressed up, it's impossible to tell whose wedding it is.