Navigation for Here Now

Arranged marriages

From Voices 12 May 2014

These days sustainable marriages seem to be as difficult to come by as great vintages. So maybe it’s time to go back to the old fashioned love match. In fact it seems that arranged marriages have never really gone away, instead they’ve become popular again, especially amongst our young professionals within the Indian community. Even Europeans from our wider public are considering love matching as the most efficient way to find a mate. Lynda travels from the Hindu Temple in Kilbirnie, Wellington to Auckland’s Tapac Performing Arts Centre to check out the pros and cons of arranged marriages with vocal supports within our South East Asian communities.

Arriving at the Hindu temple, Kilbirnie

Damayanti Bava at the Hindu temple

Damayanti Bava explains food offerings to guests

Our guides at the Hindu temple, Poonam Gupta and Damayanti Bava

Performing aarti (ritual offerings of milk, flowers and nuts)

Poonam Gupta gives Joan Buchannan some bhoga (food offerings)

Poonam Gupta gives us offerings as part of Puja (worship) at the Hindu temple

Poonam Gupta in front of lord Krishna and the other deities

On arranged marriages - Mumbai Monologues during performance. Photo courtesy Shovik Nandi

On arranged marriages - cast of Mumbai Monologues during their performance. Photo courtesy Shovik Nandi

On arranged marriages, Mumbai Monologues: Sayanti Chatterjee, Monica Mahendru, Anita Crisinel, Anya Banerjee, Ahi Karunaharan, Sandy Chatterjee, Padma Akula

The images in this gallery are used with permission and are subject to copyright conditions.