Yesterday, I was visiting an eye specialist to get my eyes checked. It wasn't anything more than a routine check-up and I happened to be waiting for my eyes to be dilated that I overheard a lady talk on phone with someone. She seemed to be some kind of a match-maker dealing primarily with high society, big net-worth clients. Her style of speaking was very sophisticated, urbane and suave and yet I couldn't have been more disgusted with the conversation that I overheard.
This is what the one-sided conversation sounded like (# names changed to prevent privacy)
"Hello! Namaste ji, how are you?"
*pause*
"Arre, what are you saying? Aapko toh is waqt bahut khush hona chahiye. Maine itni sundar ladkiyan bhej rakhi hain aapko."
*pause*
"Nahin, itni badhiya ladkiyan hain aur aapko khaas pasand nahin aayi? Geetika# aur Aisha Kohli#. Vaise in dono se bhi sundar ek ladki aayi hai mere paas. She has come to me through a reference and she is very beautiful. Only thing is that she does not belong to Delhi or NCR. She is from Indore."
*pause*
"But, then toh agar aapko Delhi/NCR se hi chahiye toh yehi dono hi hain - Geetika and Aisha Kohli."
*pause*
"Haan, Geetika, I know, is just ok to look at, but paise-walon ki ladki hai. Uske papa se baat hui thi meri, vo log shaadi mein 1.5 crore lagane ko ready hain. They will even give you an Audi worth 40 lacs. Aapko yehi toh chahiye tha."
*pause*
"Nahin, vo toh Aisha Kohli wale bhi itna hi karenge - 1.5 crore bhi Audi bhi."
*pause*
"Vaise toh dono ka financial status same hai. Both girls' fathers have same income, about 5 - 6 crores. Aur girls bhi dono hi sundar hain. Haan, Aisha Kohli comparatively, you are right, thodi better looking hai."
*pause*
"Yeh Geetika ki family ne abhi abhi 1 brand new kothi khareedi hai DLF mein 500 gaz ki. They will shift there in 2 months. Actually, her bhabhi is expecting so they are waiting."
*pause*
"Abhi Rajinder Nagar mein rehte hain. Ab vaise to Rajinder Nagar is also not a bad place. A lot of good and well-to-do families live there."
*pause*
"Nahin, Aisha Kohli ka bhi same hai. Unki Noida mein kothi hai 400 gaz ki."
*pause*
"Ab vo toh dekho ji, both girls are same to same, dono sundar hain, dono 1.5 crore lagayenge, dono Audi denge, dono ka financial status bhi same hai. Ab it's up to you."
By now, I was disgusted and sick of the conversation and was wondering whether I should look for another seat. It was nauseating to listen the girls being evaluated on such orthodox narcissistic and greedily monetary criteria. Not once during the 15 odd minutes conversation was the girls' educational background, career choices (I doubt they had any) or other qualities were discussed. Was it only me who had started to believe that thanks to the social media and public outcry the mindsets of people has started to change, especially the upper middle class and high class people who are active on social media etc. I had started to think that the girls in these families are not looked at as commodities anymore and are acknowledged and respected for their own achievements and qualities. I was jolted from my slumber by a simple one sided conversation to come back to reality that things have only changed in written and spoken words and families like mine where girl's education and empowerment have always been embraced are still largely outnumbered by the orthodox male child obsessed and male dominated families. Have I actually become too much of a feminist to feel largely disturbed by this seemingly normal conversation?
Meanwhile, while the phone conversation continued, and I was thinking all of this, luckily for me, there was a call for me to see the doctor and I was saved from overhearing the conversation any further.
I wonder what all my friends, both guys and girls, have to say about this.
No comments:
Post a Comment