Dating dilemmas for NRIs

The adventurous spirit of the Indian race is a guiding factor that leads many Indians to leave behind the safety of home, friends and family and move abroad. Bumping into an Indian overseas is now very common.
It is this adventurous spirit that fosters one of the remarkable ambitious characteristics of our race. Since a young age, my parents taught me to strive to work hard and do my best at what I put my mind to.I was encouraged to find peers who motivated, inspired and set an example for me. When it came to moving away from home, no questions were asked about how far away from home I would go as it was a given that spreading my wings would mean that a destination far afield would be the correct one if I chose.
Throughout my teen years, I took this freedom for granted. Yet, the first time I began dating and introduced a man I was dating to my family I felt that there remained an avenue left unexplored.
For the first time in my life, I felt constricted. The type of man I would one day marry felt like a choice that had been left to me, but with so many pre-determinations that it no longer felt like a choice at all. Growing up with strong emphasis placed on culture, religion and tradition suddenly made the dating game living as an NRI abroad a feat that stumped me. I began to ask questions such as: would this person fit in with my family? Would my grandparents relate to the character I’m dating? Would my parents approve?
The avenue left unexplored by many Indians is a path that our generation of NRIs is rightly venturing into. I increasingly see more white and Indian couples walking down the streets of London, or Indian and black couples in several European cities. The question that our generation is now asking themselves has turned away from the dictations of society, as more of us turn to questions such as “Does this person make me happy?” or “Can I see myself with this person many years down the line?”
I believe these are the right questions to ask. The ambition and courage of the Indians who left India speaks volumes. The same positive attributes should be channeled into encouraging the present generation to make the right decisions for themselves, instead of decisions that are determined by our race, religion or background.