Quote Originally Posted by cilu
OK, but really, why do we have to involve the parents at all? That's my question... Why can't the two people that get married arrange everything?
Cultural and social differences. Asian kids are more bound to the family and parents as a whole. I am 28 and still living with my parents in a joint family. In Europe and America you could find this very strange and even shameful. Not only marriages, but every major decisions I take involves the whole family. This could be both bad and good. I have seen cases even in my own family that if parents do not take the initiative and arrange for the marriage, the boy or girl is left unmarried for the entire life.

You'would be surprised to know in marriages here not only parents are involved but from grand parents to uncles and aunts, close family friends come into action. To go along with the marriage, the proposal should pass with "No objection" along the entire family hierarchy.

But the scenario is changing slowly mainly in the urban areas where people are more literate and independent.