After a popular and controversial first season, Netflix’s Indian Matchmaking is back with more Mumbai elites and American Desis (diasporic South Asians) looking for love. The show offers a glimpse into matrimonial negotiations and the arranged marriage process, guided by matchmaker Sima Taparia. Contestants and their families outline their preferences – from values to profession, hobbies to looks – and scrutinise potential partners.
While some criteria are more or less explicit (“must like dogs”), others, such as “good education”, work as implicit references to social class. In India – much like across the globe – good education is synonymous with an English medium education.
This is where English is the language through which all subjects are taught – a model favoured by fee-paying institutions. English speakers are widely assumed to be more educated, more affluent, more modern.
