Gurki Basra on Indian Matchmaking: An Arranged Marriage and Its Evolution Toward Love
Gurki Basra knows a thing or two about dating. She even starred in Season One of the Netflix show Dating Around. One of her dates on that show could well go down in history as one of the worst first (and last) dates ever captured on camera.
Gurki’s mother, Tanjeet, on the other hand, had never been on a date, right up to the day she was married at age 22, which also happened to be the day she met her husband for the first time. As a matter of fact, during this blindest of blind dates, the Punjabi newlyweds hardly spoke to each other.
How do you come to know your life partner after such a beginning? And how on earth to you come to love him?
I invited Gurki on to the podcast to talk about her mother, and her family’s tradition of Indian matchmaking.
I didn’t ask the question straight up, but wanted to know what Gurki thought of all this dating app madness and stress, especially after watching her own parents’ relationship grow into a kind of love that strikes their daughter as warm and comforting. It’s a kind of love born not of fiery passion but familiarity. During our interview, Gurki offered pearls of wisdom she’s gleaned while bearing witness to her parents’ marriage. She carries these pearls with her as she continues her journey along the rubble strewn path of dating in the 21st century.
And our conversation made us both stop to ask: might the human heart be spared a lot of unnecessary pain and drama if marriage were simply a matter settled between two sets of parents?
A note: Gurki’s word for her mother: LOVING, which you can find (along with a thousand others) just around the corner, on the mother word cloud page. Please visit the page and contribute your own word that best describes your mother.
Artwork by Paula Mangin: (@PaulaBallah on Instagram)
Our theme song, Tell Me Mama, was composed and performed by Andrea Perry.
Producer: David Walters
Web site: Jeannie Stivers