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Inter-cultural Marriages (South Indian/African-American)?

This is a little detail in a novel I'm writing - say it's about 1990, and in the US. A Kerala man meets an African-American woman when they're both in medical school. Do his parents (who I know are going to be angry) insist on an Indian wedding or is it more likely that they just elope?

Update:

I'm looking for whether it would be *realistic* that his parents insisted she go through an elaborate wedding - I shouldn't have said 'elope', but otherwise they're just going to have a civil ceremony, likely without his parents there.

6 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    His parents when they learn he has decided to marry an African-American woman will not insist on an Indian wedding. 9 out of 10 cases this will be the result.

    Kerala weddings usually have more than 1000 guests and is a large social gathering. If there is nothing much to "show-off", the parents of the guy would rather suggest a very private wedding for the couple, possibly in USA.

    The thing to show-off are (1) the social standing of the brides family (2) the financial standings of the brides family through the number of gold ornaments she is wearing (3) the beauty of the bride.

    In your case nobody gains from having an indian wedding. I live in Kerala and I suggest you frame your novel with a small private wedding in america and the couples going back to Kerala after a few years (may be with a pregnant wife)

  • 1 decade ago

    I happy that youre shedding some light on the indian subject. There is a book I read called the "mango season", similar to your story. Its about an African american and a desi women when they met in college, you may want to look into before you start writing. There is another book similar to that, its dealing with an african american male and a hindu female and It was so condescending, written by a american author. I cant think of the same right now. Any way, "madras on rainy days" was also bizarre, it was about a muslim indian girl pregnant with an american man's baby, and her parents were strict. My favorite book was "the namesake". Good luck on your book.

    Source(s): I'm a read many books on the east indian genre.
  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    TheBlack American culuture is female dominated and once you marry a Black woman you become apart of her family and follow her traditions. So I don't see them having an elaborate Indian wedding most likely they would have a Southern style wedding where the couple jumps the broom.

  • 1 decade ago

    Insist on an Indian wedding

    Eloping is just too overused.

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    its inre cultural wedding so them must mix the two cultures together. they can do an afroindia wedding.and everyone is happy.instead of having only one culture represented.

  • 1 decade ago

    Indian wedding so it may scare off the black women.

    Parents do stuff like that so they can run off people from there children.

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