John Dayal | 7 April 2024 | The Wire

Well into the liberalised economic order, matrimonial advertisements in north Indian newspapers had parents of eligible men seeking brides who were fair, accomplished, homely and ‘convent educated’. The last qualification was an omnibus one, ensuring that the young woman was not only presentable and spoke English as it ought to be spoken with a neutral All India Radio accent, but would be rooted in values.

The unspoken guarantee was that she would be ‘chaste’. Not like those who went to “international” schools. And if boys, they would possibly turn out as good as Shah Rukh Khan or the late Arun Jaitley. Till the turn of the century, this ensured that even super-rich parents, who could afford to buy a seat in an American college, preferred Catholic convents in their city…

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