NRI Weddings Drop as U.S. Economy Slows

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Jan. 23 – A good education and a highly paid job abroad once meant that that the Indian expatriate male was a prized catch. But once news of the downfall in the U.S. economy hit Indian shores, marriage offers to America based potential bridegrooms have plummeted.

With no security to back them, massive lay offs and no growth prospects parents of young Indian girls are shying away from America returned Indian accountants, investment bankers, software engineers and their ilk. Potential brides are instead looking to men in India, who also offer a good education, a secure job and most importantly the option of not moving too far away from home.

"Since the global slowdown, we have registered a 20 percent decline in demand for NRI grooms," the chief executive of www.bharatmatrimony.com, Murugavel Janakiraman, was quoted as saying by Mumbai's Midday newspaper.

India which prides itself in the institution of arranged marriages regards marriages with Non-Resident Indian’s the best match for an Indian girl. For most middle class families in India, sending their daughter abroad suggests that they have secured her a prosperous, stable future and completed their most important responsibility as parents.