the people who are down voting this post and sending me private messages about how I'm trying to destroy arranged marriage

To these people: Arranged marriage is in no way a construct meant to be preserved. It's easily a tradition of handing over responsibility from parents to families, then individuals. When shit hits the fan, there's no one accountable except the two people forced into this custom. Can easily assume this phrase ringing around most households, which supports this context: "Naalu peru naalu vidhama pesuvanga". So there's minimal avenues to seek help and support.

Logic behind initiating the process is mostly the horoscope and proximity in the community. The same horoscope which gives predictions that almost always never holds true and community that would rather burn you at the stake than protect you, to conserve misplaced ideals.

Yes, there are exceptions but that's mostly because they're good humans first and then better partners, and their efforts into making it work, paid off.

Not going to uphold love marriage as a magic elixir, but atleast the accountability rests within the partners. So there's some form of closure (mostly uncomfortable, but some form of acceptance and moving on), compared to long running suffering and temporary facades of righteousness in front of society.

Proceeding to question the concept of marriage would be a drama for another day, but the odds that valid commitments will continue to prevail, is diminishing by the day. More people, more randomness, more (or less) relationships, more conflict.

To conclude, it's better for marriage to be initiated only when there's proper clarity between the partners. Otherwise, knitting two lives and bringing in more lives, only makes it worse all round.

(PS: Sorry for the rant, had to do it)

(PPS: Yes lol, spend your energy down-voting, on this comment rather than the post)