Kannan is not so different from the other Indian youngsters. He is of average height, not so dark-not so fair complexion, loves cricket, spends a lot of time on Orkut and Gmail and he has a decent if not handsome appearance. However, there is one major difference. He is not into IT as most others are. He is a senior field engineer in a reputed firm at Ambatthur that manufactures spares for trucks and heavy vehicles. Until the time Kannan's parents came up with the idea of getting him married (In India, the parents decide bride/groom and incidentally the system works better than many others across the world), Kannan was a happy go lucky person who had a comfortable living with his 15K salary and lived life - king size. But then every happy story has a twist!
The first time he heard his dad conversing with the girl's parents was the first time he felt inferior in his life. The plan was that Kannan's parents would talk to the girl's parents just as a formality and then Kannan would meet the girl and talk to her. Courtesy - a popular matrimonial site that hosted Kannan's personality in his own words. Kannan took 3 full days to come up with the profile and the first few lines of the profile read "I'm Kannan, Single, 25 yrs old Mechanical Engineer working in a reputed firm. I'm a happy go lucky person with good sense of humor and I'm looking for a girl who is understanding, homely and cute".
When the profile had a response, Kannan was ecstatic and it was a usually unusual day where every guy has a kind of excitement about getting married and a virtual ball kept rolling in Kannan's stomach. His brain was thinking of ways he could start the conversation with the girl, the questions he could ask her and the topics that would be romantic while his hands were busy brushing his hair and his eyes scanning his mirror reflection a thousand times to ensure he's presentable. The hour finally came and Kannan's dad called up the girl's home.
Dad: Hello! May I talk to Mr. Karthikeyan please.
...
Dad: Hello sir! This is Rangarajan - Kannan's father. How are you doing sir?
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Dad: I'm doing great by God's grace. So everything as per plan? Are we meeting at Kabhaleeshwarar temple at 10: 30?
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Dad: But sir... You could've at least told us before!
...
Dad: Hmm...
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Dad: That's ok sir! That's God's will. What else could we say... Thank You!
Kannan was confused by the conversation and suddenly all the excitement he had since morning was wading off. "What happened dad" he asked his father...
His father remained silent for a couple of moments and said "The bride's family doesn't want to proceed any further with this marriage proposal. They have a better profile - a software engineer settled in US, earning 200K per month in Indian value. Don't worry Kanna. You'll get a better girl".
Those words keep echoing in his ears all these years, every echo reducing the trust in those words and every rejection reducing the confidence in him. "After all 15K?, Mechaaanical Engineer?, Hasn't even been to US?, Was he a college drop out?" - different versions of the same story from different girls. Kannan is still unmarried, thinking about learning SAP and applying for a US H1 visa. The profile in his matrimonial site currently reads - "I'm Kannan, Single, 30 yrs old Mechanical Engineer working in a reputed firm... "
5 comments:
maapla, I wont accept with you on this story da !!!!! As i worked for a "reputed firm" in mechanical engineering, i know how it's there...including pay n life.
Beleive me, it hardly makes a difference of 30% money of what u r earning in software Vs Mechanical\civil etc.,
The life is more better than there, the learning process there is slow and steady. by this way you will have thorough knowledge. unlike software where u start learning in the morning and evening they'll say it's outdated !!!!
Other companies you will definitely learn to enjoy the joys of life, there's be a senior person of your dad's age who kindly advices you when u go for smoking. Inside the company whereever you move you find relation....tell me have you ever visited your manager's home? did he treated you like someone in their family ? Has he sat with you and discussed about the big n small things in life???? did your manager actually have time to guide your career.......??????
If at all i was not in marketing in my previous job, i would have happily stayed there.
Last thing, dude, a freshly passed out doctor wont earn much in the first 10 yrs of his career, after 10 years his income wont stop till he dies...same holds for mechanical field also, they need a complete knowledged person and it'll take minimum 7 yrs to get that knowledge...
Also @ the age of 30, any mechanical engineer in a decent company will be leading a better life than software jugheads !!!!
PS: i still regret my decission to join software company, but count on me, after 6-7 yrs you'll be seeing me in some mech company as someone who's responsible for the IT side of Mechanical company :-)
Thanks for the detailed comments maapla! But what I'm trying to say is that due to the craze associated with IT, parents of girls expect the groom to be a US return or person settled in US which is actually bad!
Maapla, i'll deny that also. see, lets take TamilNadu alone. there are 200+ colleges, say 100 students come out of it every year, so 20000/yr. not all got into softwares, say 50%, so 10000 software engrs...from TN alone.
How many H1 processing every yr? 65000K. the application for Foreign VISA is around 1000000 every yr, but then only 60% get VISA and makes trip(inclusive of H1, L1..UK, AUSTRALIA...all) so you mean to say that rest 40% (assuming 50% been boys)..so comes to 20% are not getting brides????
no da, going foreign is just an oppurtunity, people have changed a lot here....u also change ur perception. For my sister, i wont explicitly search for US maapillai, but if the groom happens to be in US, then we'll send her..thats it !!!!
Though I have read it as soon as you have posted, I was not having time to post my comment on this...here it goes...
a very nice one and to the point...though Srini is not able to digest this, this is the bitter truth today...majority of girls look to settle abroad and this seems to be the easiest way for them (getting dependent VISA is much easier than other VISAs :) )...
interesting one - both the post and the comments..
Be a Roman in Rome.... Go along with the world..
Current Craze is s/w and onsite hence people are inclined towards it say atleast 70%... (exception being doctors/ few others)
Even s/w guys prefer s/w engineering girls..
@SLN
I do not agree with the point that girls prefer to go in dependent visa.. Most of the girls are forced to have a break in their carrier because of the H4 dependent visa...
There are girls who do not want their hubbies going onsite.
@Srini
I do strongly agree with the point relation becomes distance and material becomes objective. This is true.. In tamil one say its says "Thookatrai Vitru Thalai Annai Kettaen":) For the benefit of future children - people wanna come here... but you miss your near and dear one and vice versa.. one can't go for marriage or death..
after marriage and when children are born, mothers have to forgo their job here as day care are damn costly/ bring their parents here which is not possible always as they are may have other
commitments too...
Parents want to give their girls to a well-off bridegrooms so its not their fault also to look for a US paiyyan...
Still they look at the character of the bride/ bridegroom... money can be earned anytime, sufficient earning to satisfy basic needs and a peaceful life should be aimed at wherever we are and whatever we do.
Ultimately "Mind is what that matters".
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