Wow, evidently the village of Lank in India has passed a law banning the use of cell phones by unmarried women. Married women can use the beasties but unmarried women are prohibited from doing so. The reason for the ban? It’s to prevent unmarried women from secretly arranging their own marriages without parental consent . . . which in and of itself is a crime punishable by death. Yes, that’s what the report says, death. Unmarried men can still use cell phones but only under parental supervision. See http://gizmodo.com/5698200/unmarried-women-banned-from-using-cellphones-in-indian-village for more.

In my trips to India – admittedly I’ve only been to a few major cities rather than villages – I saw a LOT of cellphone use. On our first trip, quite a few folks we met were interested in whether Lorraine and I were a love marriage or a regular marriage as arranged marriages are still the norm. Actually, on two different television networks in two different cities I came across special news programs with psychologists talking about how love marriages are unstable and that arranged marriages have much few problems, with the information specifically arranged to encourage folks to drop any ideas of love marriages. For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, a love marriage is when folks fall in love and marry – with or without parental participation in the process – while arranged marriages are the traditional method of marrying the person your parents have selected for your spouse, regardless of emotional connection or having even met the person prior to the arrangement.

All the best,
Brian