From the pages of a Man’s diary who loves solitude!

This is how every day starts at my home. My mom kicks off the "conference" titled "Me Getting Married"—or, in other words, locking me up in the name of wedlock! My dad? Well, he’s an exemplary husband, a non-chauvinist, you know? He follows in her footsteps, and thus begins the day’s ordeal. It eats away at my sanity, giving me a headache right at the start of what could have been a splendid day, if not for these endless marriage talks!

Let me tell you how it all starts. My mom—oh my God! She’s faster than Chitti, the Robot, when it comes to scanning potential brides. She scans, mixes, matches, selects, scrutinizes, and performs every possible analysis the moment her eyes land on a girl she finds pleasing. Meanwhile, there I am, scratching my head so hard it feels like my grey matter might ooze out! How do mothers always manage to assess every detail about a girl at first glance? Next comes my dad, with his glasses on, meticulously examining horoscopes to see if they match mine. His pupils dart around as if conducting a celestial investigation!

I sometimes seriously wonder—do all parents on Earth have no other job besides nagging their kids to get married? Even after enjoying decades of their own married lives, they still insist on dragging their kids into the same setup. Isn’t that ironic? I mean, spouses argue about every little thing under the sun, but when it comes to arranging their child’s wedding, they magically find common ground. It makes me think—are all parents of this generation destined to become marriage assemblers?

But there’s something they don’t seem to understand. For many girls, especially in certain circumstances, pursuing higher education isn’t a choice but an expectation. Meanwhile, most guys are forced to jump into professional life right after their undergraduate studies, leaving little room for further academic exploration. So, girls gain more exposure and qualifications, which inevitably become critical criteria in contemporary marriage arrangements. After all, as Nehru ji said, “Educate a woman, and you educate a society.”

But here’s the catch—this education plays a huge role in setting the bar. A woman with a master’s degree needs to marry a man with a master’s or a doctorate. And it doesn’t end there! The guy also needs to have a high-paying job at a top-notch company with an even higher CTC. Oh, and let’s not forget the grand finale—he must own a house! Rentals? Out of the question!

Seriously, are fathers supposed to be money machines? If I go to my dad again for help, my sister might just murder me in my sleep! So, the next option is a housing loan. And with that come the dreaded EMIs, interest rates, tax exemptions, and all those commerce terms that felt like Greek and Latin during school. To repay the loan, I’ll have to work overtime, part-time—basically all the time! And the loan will cling to me for at least ten years.

Now, suppose I manage to pay off the housing loan. If I have a child by then, guess what? My kid will come asking for tuition fees that cost more than my entire schooling! I’ll need yet another loan—maybe from my current job, or a new one if there’s no job security. It’ll be loans after loans—home appliances, education, this, that, and everything in between. By the time I fulfill all my responsibilities as a “responsible father,” I’ll be in my late sixties, too exhausted to enjoy life, let alone live it for myself. Add stress-induced ailments and dietary restrictions to the mix—what a life!

So, tell me, why should I marry and willingly enter this endless cycle of debt and stress? Should I waste my life for this?