Maharashtra’s unmarried farmers, shopkeepers turn to agents to find brides in rural belt

Agents are gaining importance as young men especially from farming families or small-town businesses are finding it difficult to find bride – let alone suitable partner. A network of ‘matchmakers’ arrange marriages by bringing brides from economically backward regions, including Marathwada, Vidarbha, and Karnataka’s border districts. While the practice has helped many men find partners, a significant number of marriages collapse within days, with brides running away often taking valuables and cash with them.

Vasant Patil, 34, from Lakhmapur village in Satana tehsil of Nashik district, married Leena Mandale of Nanded district through an agent. Only near and dear ones attended the registered marriage at Nashik on March 24. However, within five days, the newlywed left the man and took away with her cash and jewellery worth ₹3 lakh.

The groom’s family registered a case with Satana police. The Nashik rural police took the agent into confidence and made a video call to the girl’s family with a proposal of marriage and offered ₹1.60 lakh. The girl and her family fell for the bait and came at another location in Nashik where the police arrested Leena, her maternal uncle Anadna Dalvi and aunt Kashibai Waghmare.

Bajirao Pawar, inspector, Satana Police, said, “The girl’s family has been arrested for robbery. Many such cases are happening across the state.”

Satish Pawar, a 37-year-old farmer from Nampur village of Nashik district, is yet to find a bride. “Many men in my village are unmarried as no one is ready to tie the knot with farmer. As some of my friends found marriage partner through agents, I paid ₹2 lakh and was lucky to find a good spouse.”

Adjusting to different food habits and customs was difficult initially for Satish, but over time, he claimed to have settled down. “A friend who married through an agent was abandoned by his partner within a month,” he said.

Nilesh Alai, also from Nampur, has facilitated at least 30 such marriages, including that of his brother. “Agents charge between ₹2 lakh and ₹4 lakh today. A few years ago, it was only ₹40,000. The agents arrange everything till the wedding ceremony, but take no responsibility afterwards. In some cases, the brides run away with gold and cash, but in my experience, about 80% of these marriages are successful,” he said.

Marriage crisis

Economic hardships, rising debts, and the impact of climate change have made farming an unattractive profession, exacerbating the marriage crisis in rural Maharashtra. A declining sex ratio further reduces the prospects of marriage for many men. The 2011 Census recorded a sex ratio of 931 females per 1,000 males in Nashik district, while some rural areas have a lower count — 899 in Nashik tehsil— far below the national average of 940 females per 1,000 males.

The problem is so grave that voters, especially single men from a drought-prone parliamentary constituency of Madha in Solapur district, had put up a rather unique demand from candidates in the fray during the April 2024 Lok Sabha polls – the young men want their help in finding suitable matches and getting married. Responding to the voters’ appeal, Ramesh Baraskar, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) candidate who lost in the polls, had assured that he would launch a drive to arrange marriages of unmarried youth in rural areas if elected.

According to Nashik (rural) superintendent of police Milind Mohite, marriages of rural youth has become a grave issue. “Even in my native place, 40 to 45 youth have crossed their general marriageable age and are still single. Touts have cropped up who bring brides from other parts and charge money,” he said.

Rajesaheb Deshmukh of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) from Parli in Beed of Marathwada region had promised to arrange marriages of bachelors in his constituency if he won the assembly elections held in November 2024. Deshmukh lost to NCP’s Dhananjay Munde.

Marriage melawas (gatherings) held in rural areas highlight the crisis starkly. Hemant Pagar, director, Maratha Shubh Lagna, holds such events to facilitate matchmaking. “At a melawa in Malegaon recently, 800 grooms attended, but only 15 brides showed up. In Satana, 1,000 families came, but not a single girl’s family attended,” he said.

Even well-off farmers struggle. “Even if a farmer owns land worth crores, women prefer a groom with a stable ₹30,000- ₹40,000 salaried job in a city. Land ownership is no longer enough,” Pagar said.

The demand of voters in Madha is not surprising. A large part of the constituency falls under Solapur district, where the child sex ratio is among the lowest in the state. According to the 2011 census, 883 girls were born in the district per 1,000 boys. Consequently, many young men from the district and neighbouring areas have faced multiple rejections from potential brides across the state.

Rise of agent system

With traditional matchmaking failing, agents have stepped in to fill the gap. Their fees range from ₹2 lakh to ₹4 lakh per marriage. Additionally, families must pay ₹5,000- ₹10,000 just to see a potential bride. The process is expensive, but has become a necessity for many men unable to find matches locally.

Yogesh Warkhede, who organises matchmaking events in Nashik, said, “Agents charge ₹25,000- ₹40,000 per visit, arranging meetings with five potential brides. If a match is made, the family must cover all wedding expenses, including gold and other customary gifts.”

The system, however, has also led to fraudulent practices. Some women enter multiple marriages, taking away cash and valuables before disappearing. “There have been cases where brides run away with valuables within days. Yet, very few file complaints, fearing social stigma and the embarrassment of admitting they paid for a bride,” said Pagar.

Social and economic factors

The crisis is not limited to farmers. Small-town businessmen, particularly shop owners, are also struggling to find brides. “A woman in my neighborhood paid ₹3,000 to agents to help find a bride for her son, but they found no one willing to marry him,” said Santosh Mule, an economics professor from Udgir.

Several other bachelors echoed the farmer, saying girls were only interested in marrying government servants or employees of big companies in Pune and Mumbai with fixed income and an apartment

According to politician Baraskar, more than 25,000 young men from the constituency were struggling to find brides as young women and their parents were inclined towards government employees or those with fixed income.

According to social activist Dr Dikpal Girase from Nashik district who was contacted by a handful of grooms after brides left within days, agents have become common in rural marriages where brides are from other areas such as Marathwada or border districts of Maharashtra.

“I have so far offered help in 10 to 12 such cases where girl married to boy through middlemen system returned home, taking with her jewellery and other valuables. However, to avoid embarrassment, they do not file police complaint,” he said, adding, “the marriage of rural youth is a big problem and each village has 20 to 30 such youth. Some agents are taking benefit of this problem.”

Rural women increasingly reject farming life due to restrictive customs, heavy domestic burdens, and financial instability. “Even if incomes are lower in cities, women prefer men from urban areas for the freedom they offer. In villages, they face clothing restrictions, joint-family responsibilities, and a lack of financial independence,” said Rohini Patil, a social worker from Buldhana.

A concerning trend is the growing age gap between grooms and brides. Dr Sachin Pawar, a gynaecologist, said, “Most grooms using these agents are 35-45 years old, while the brides they marry are often in the age group of 19-22.”

For families, the stigma of having an unmarried son is immense. A retired teacher from Nampur said, “Both my sons—one a farmer, the other a shop owner—are unmarried at 35+. Every time I attend a wedding, people ask about their marriage. The pressure is so intense that I have developed high blood pressure and anxiety. I now avoid attending social events.”

While arranged marriages through agents have an 80% success rate, they remain controversial. The remaining 20%, according to local marriage bureaus from Nashik and Jalgaon districts, end up in quick separation.

As long as economic distress and social restrictions continue to push women away from rural life, Maharashtra’s marriage crisis is unlikely to ease. Without systemic changes in financial stability, gender ratios, and rural employment opportunities, the trend of agent-arranged marriages will only grow, with its accompanying risks and uncertainties.