Ravi Singla, May 8, 2012

The All India Greedy Grooms’ Parents’ Society kicked off today the three-day Global Indian Bridegroom Fair at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. Parents from across India are taking part in the event, along with their daughters, the prospective brides.

Every prospective bridegroom up for sale must wear a cardboard tag, which states his name and Non-Negotiable Groom Price, along with his vital stats: profile, company, earnings per annum, contact number and other salient features. There are separate stalls for various communities such as NRIs, Kayastha, Aggarwal, Yadav and Marathi. Each stall is further divided into shops on the basis of professions. The shops featuring IT engineers were overcrowded when this reporter visited the venue.

For the convenience of ‘buyers’, digital displays in each stall mention the “starting price” and the number of the available grooms. Continuous announcements are made to lure visitors to shops. The NRI stall, the most lavish of all, is also proving to be a big crowd-puller.

Indian Bridegroom Expo

The ‘buyer’ parents have termed this an excitingly revolutionary move. Mr. Lachar Malhotra, the quite aged father of Tinky, a commerce graduate, said: “It’s a move towards transparency. As it is, things work only this way. Matrimonial ads reveal nothing important. Everywhere it’s mentioned that an educated, well-groomed, beautiful, not to mention fair, girl is needed for so-and-so well-settled boy. But then when I contact them, all they seem to care about is the ‘offer’.”

He continued, “When I ask them about their ‘expectations’, they generally say it depends on me: whatever I can and wish to provide. And when I say that I can spend only Rs 20 lakh, they react as if I have insulted them in the worst possible manner. Here, at least, we can make an informed decision which falls under our ‘budget’.”

Wedding experts said this initiative is a much-needed innovation for the Indian marriage industry.