Asia Dynamic - Henna on My Hands

I said ‘right, he’s got some respect, but I must get to know him to make sure’. I questioned him, I really questioned him about everything, and I even asked him ‘why do you want to marry my daughter?’

 

– Damayanti Chhima on searching for a husband for her daughter Nalini

At one stage I was scared. I didn't think it would work you know, me being brought up here and someone else getting married — well me getting married to someone from there. But then if you think about it, like maybe it will work, maybe it won't...

 

 

– Nalini Chhima on searching for a potential husband, early in this documentary

We had our differences — a lot of differences in the beginning, a lot of these customs and beliefs and all that  . . .  Ganesh being bought up back at home in the village, that’s the way he was bought up to believe . . . we've worked things out. We've been together this long so it must be worth it.

– New Zealand-born Damayanti Chhima, on her arranged marriage to Indian-born Ganesh, in part two

Prikash's Jati is a higher Jati. He's a Kansara which is higher than us. We’re basically farmers, Koli Patels, so we’re a bit lower down than they are  . . .  Prakash being a Kansara, they normally don't marry out of their caste, so a lot of people reckon that I should be very very lucky that he's chosen someone like me.

– Nalini Chhima on marrying outside of her caste, in part four

My mum thinks the match will work. I'm still not too sure about it. We haven't really talked that much, because we don't know really what to talk about.

 

– Nalini Chhima on the match with potential husband Prakash, late in part four

I don't know how Nalini feels. She must care for him in some way to have gone through with this. She wasn’t forced into it. I know he really loves her. That was my main point, was to make sure that he cared for my daughter from the heart, not from the mind.

– Nalini’s mother Damayanti Chhima on Nalini's arranged marriage, in clip five