Kenyandesi posted this story on the News tab yesterday and then Ruchira kindly reminded me of it via email today, (Thanks, ladies!) so I thought I should probably blog about the latest bit of stupidity regarding arranged marriages:
Citing the potential bride’s protruding teeth, bad complexion and poor English, a family in Massachusetts called off an arranged marriage and filed a lawsuit for damages.
The Hindu family, residing in Belchertown, Mass., had agreed to an arrangement proposed by Hindu friends in Maryland to marry their niece, who lives in India, the Springfield Republican newspaper reported.
But the father of the groom-to-be, Vijai B. Pandey, 60, filed suit after family members saw the selected bride in New Delhi last August. The Pandeys, according to the lawsuit, were “extremely shocked to find … she was ugly … with protruded bad teeth, and couldn’t speak English to hold a conversation.” The woman’s complexion also was cited. [linkage]
I’m actually kind of a fan of arranged marriages, as long as they occur between two consenting parties, but I am not a fan of suing someone for any and every damned thing which caused a pout. Are you kidding me with this? I love how her “complexion” is litigation-worthy and her teeth were examined like she was a horse-for-sale. Also, with “friends” like these…
Vijai B. Pandey, 60, of Belchertown, Mass., filed a civil complaint in state court here last month against Lallan and Kanti Giri of Boyds, Md., charging them with fraud, conspiracy and violation of civil rights resulting in emotional distress, and claiming $200,000 in damages. [link]
Violation of Civil Rights? That’s the most insulting (ab)use of that phrase I’ve ever encountered.
When the Giris proposed a marriage between Pranjul K. Pandey, 37, and their niece in India, Vijai Pandey and his wife, Lalita, pointed out that Pranjul was handsome, personable and spoke English, and asked if the young woman was “equally beautiful … and a good match,” Pandey’s lawsuit states.[link]
Yes, yes…your son is a peach who is so desirable, he’s a 37-year old bachelor. If he were a woman, they’d be trying to set him up with someone in a persistent vegetative state (“Edi, you do not have the luxury to be choosy…take vat you can get!), but since he’s male, he’s still a catch at that age. Desis, please.
The Pandeys were assured that she was comparable, and would learn English. The Giris agreed to compensate Vijai Pandey “for everything” if their niece was found unsuitable, the lawsuit says.[link]
I think they should compensate him with a fat counter-suit for idiocy and excessive whining. What, was there a contract for this transaction? Who does this?
The Pandeys got a photo of the prospective bride, but “couldn’t tell much” from it. Nonetheless, they became “heavily involved by long telephone calls to India,” and sent money for the woman’s passport, anticipating her move to the United States after the wedding, court documents state.[link]
I’m no lawyer (nor do I impersonate them) but I think the boy’s lovely family should take some responsibility for their choice to pursue this. If they are so superficial, they should’ve demanded sharper pictures. Dental records. Maybe they should have actually tried to speak English to the woman on those “heavily involved”, “long telephone calls to India”. This is all so unbelievably lame…don’t make me take my earrings off.
Has anyone ever heard of the following actually happening? How do such reimbursements work? Do you have to keep your receipt and ensure that the tags are intact in order to return the merchandise?
Nimai Nitai das, president of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness of New England in Boston, said he hears occasionally of Hindu families seeking reimbursement for marriage arrangements gone awry.
“In the U.S., sooner or later, everything winds up in court … but I’ve never heard of a lawsuit about this,” he said .[link]
…and may we never hear of one again. >:(
Ennis, I doubt he could claim expenses though. If a court accepted that claim, wouldn’t it kinda mean that whenever a blind date went bad, the person that paid could sue as well? There was no contract really. Even when there are contracts, weddings are kinda iffy. I knew a girl who knew a girl 🙂 who sued her wedding photographer because the pictures didn’t turn out well, but she got nothing because she did get pictures, bad though they were. The Pandey’s got what they could reasonably expect, the contact information of a certain girl. They weren’t forced to spend money on getting in touch with her. If the picture was doctored though… Now I want to be a lawyer 🙂
Jai, I was joking. I do believe your nice boy claims, I just thought that the whole bikini thing was funny 🙂
xyz=zyx
My face matches your personality…
Case Dismissed!
Sleepy,
No problem, I was joking too. Well, apart from the part about how luscious ladies in bikinis should take them off (preferably in front of an appreciative audience) if they find them too uncomfortable. They can keep the high-heels on, though.
Anyway, the fraud issue can be a two-way street, of course. For example, a woman who’s gone for the arranged marriage shebang finding out on her wedding night that her new husband’s big bad anaconda is actually more like a limp Maggi noodle.
wink
Well, on his legal theory perhaps, but that just reinforces what I’m saying about the underlying conception involved here of whose marriage this was supposed to be anyway. If Pranjul and Savita hit it off and eloped, but Dr. Vijai didn’t approve, would he have had a claim simply because he spent the money that facilitated their meeting in the first place?
“Savita was ugly with dark complexion”
Read page 3 (statement #23) of the Smoking Gun document here:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0706061uglybride1.html?link=eaf
As a continuation to my post above… Google this story, and you’ll find that the American media keeps saying “bad complexion.” Maybe that will change within a day, but as of right now, none of the articles say “dark complexion.” PC PC, don’t wanna let the truth out that non-whites can be racist too.
“Republican” is a common name for newspapers (i.e. “Gazette, Chronicle, Statesman”). It has nothing to do with political affiliations.