Still not found the ideal match for your son or daughter? Why not turn the Matrimonial Column of The Himalayan Times every Saturday? However, conditions apply. A search for a prospective bride or groom is almost like looking for a job. No “qualifications”, no “matrimonial vacancy”.

Brides or grooms would generally opt for understanding, supportive and doting spouse. But with modernisation, those qualities have been replaced by qualifications and conditions. Searching for an educated match is understandable. But someone with a degree in English, Maths, Science, Physics; “good academic records”, Diversity Visa, and Green Card?

It’s a contract…”if you have a DV, Green Card, live in the US, earn two lakh rupees a month, then yes; else, Namaskar!” With DV and Green Card conditions stamped on the vacancy column, marriages are being advertised as escape routes to the US. We back home cannot refrain from patting those who take the plunge though.

The US Constitution outlines the American Dream, which “holds certain truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Attractive, isn’t it?

Happiness is in the journey, and not in getting to the end of the road. All the Nepalis living in the US ... how many of them are really happy out there?

I sincerely urge all the would-be-brides and grooms to go for quality rather than qualification. I’ve seen many with good qualifications unemployed. My mother herself holds first division in MBS, and yet is unemployed. Had my father gone in search of a qualified woman, they probably wouldn’t even have met!

Qualifications are necessary, but more important are love and understanding. No matter how many degrees you hold, these are the qualities that strengthen the bond. How well does Barnett R Brickne put it: “Success in marriage does not come through finding the right mate, but through being the right mate.” A genuine question arises: Would you like to be the right mate or a “qualified” one?