Miss smarty pants

I really wanted to name this post with a single word 'aagayopana' since nothing in English can correctly portray the underlying meaning when a young girl is addressed with such an adjective. It is meant to symbolize as being over smart, disobedient, out of step etc...etc. Why was a young 24 year old girl addressed as that- if you are curious to know keep reading.

A young man (@ 27-28 years old) came to meet the girl with his mother at the girl's house. He had just landed from land of opportunities aka USA. He wanted to return at the end of 3 weeks with bride in tow and week 2 was already in progress. The girl is dressed in her best finery and sitting on end of the sofa, covertly glancing at the man and desperately trying to imagine a life with him. Initially, awkward small talk flows among the room occupants slowly turning to be dominated by the mother of the suitable boy which is starting to irritate the girl. She tries her level best to be cordial and responsive and the conversation flows somewhat in the following way:
Boy: So you have a degree in Engineering.
Girl: yeah..what about you ?
Boy: I have a degree in chemical engineering.
Girl: and you work in s/w ?
Boy: yeah I switched careers..Do you like what you do ?
(The mother edges her way in) Mother: Can you cook ?
Girl: Yes.
Boy: What do you cook?
Girl: Well, basic stuff like rice, dal, curry etc. I try new dishes too if I like something I ate somewhere else. Do you cook ?
Son: Not much.
Girl: So how do you survive?
Boy: Eat out.
Silence...
Girl: Do you like to read? What kind?
Boy: science fiction.
Girl: I like fiction, auto-biographical books
Mother (has to edge in): We are a religious family. We celebrate all the religious days.
Girl's family: Ohh, we too are a religious family.
Mother: Can you cook puran poli and modak? Do you know how to make the prasad?
Girl: (thinking when the F@#$ is the guy going to celebrate festivals in U) Umm yes sort of..
Mother: My son likes them very much.
Girl (by now confused if she is marrying the son or the mother) (asks the son) Umm, so do you celebrate these festivals in US ?
Son: Well, I have been living alone so not yet.
Mother: Do you pray everyday ?
Girl ( by now totally confused as to why is her religious philosophy so important asks the son) Do you pray and do the gayathri mantra everyday ?
Boy: (initially a little speechless and then actually has a laugh) no

From here the conversation went down hill and the family left after 20 minutes with the Mother sort of hinting they were not interested in pursuing. Which was just fine since the girl was not interested too.

Commentary
Why is it important for that the girl's religious convictions be tested rather than the boy. Many people compare the arranged marriage scenario to buying a vegetable in the saabzi mandi. It is sad that the girl in that case is then compared to the vegetable and the buyer to the boy/boy's fmaily. If arranged marriage is similar to going to the saabzi mandi then it has to be true for both sides. The boy's family mentioned here wanted a well educated (read professional) girl. But at the same time did not expect someone who has a mind of her own or expects certain religious following from the boy too.

of matrimonial websites, parents wishes and the hunt for the suitable boy -an Indian woman's experiences

They say if life gives you a lemon make lemonade। Which made me think how can I make lemon juice from this vast experience of mine of finding the "right" man. And so the other day when I was regaling my friend with my weird experiences of finding THE MAN which included from the time when my parents were finding the 'suitable boy' (literal translation 'Amhi amchya muli saathi changli sthala pahato aahye') I thought to myself maybe I should pen my experiences;( I mean type them really!!!) least I forget the million funny incidents. Also it would be a good start for my biography since my secret ambition has been to be on Oprah or the Daily Show (you see I am a closeted Oprah fan ). So without further ado here we go....