Does a 'muhurat' or an auspicious date and time drive marriage-related decisions? A majority of single Indians say no, according to a survey.
In the survey by online matrimony platform Shaadi.com, conducted to validate if 'muhurat' is important for any kind of decision making, especially related to one's marriage, 53.8 percent of the respondents said they don't pay heed to it.
The responses, as Shaadi.com CEO Gourav Rakshit, pointed out, "validates the progressive outlook of today's youth'.
"Muhurat is an age-old belief and people across generations tend to believe it. It is very inspiring to see that young people are trying to strike the right balance between their parents' beliefs and their own ideology hand in hand," Rakshit said.
The online poll received over 10,800 responses from single Indians (46 percent women and 54 men), ranging from age 18 to 42 years.
Asked 'If they are religious', 47.4 percent of them said 'Yes', while 27.2 percent of them said 'No' and 25.4 percent said 'Not religious, but spiritual'.
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When the question 'Do you think muhurat should be considered for special occasions' was posed to them, 34.1 percent of the respondents said 'Yes', 29.5 percent said 'No', while 36.4 percent said 'It depends on the situation'.
The respondents were then asked 'Do you believe that a marriage ceremony must take place only if the muhurat is right?', 46.2 percent of them said 'Yes', and 53.8 percent of them said 'No'.
People who said 'no' were asked: 'Would you change your mind for your family?' To that, 31.9 percent of them said 'Yes', followed by 27.3 percent who said 'No', and 40.8 percent said it 'depends on the situation'.
Asked 'Would you consider a court marriage or wait until the right muhurat for your marriage?', 27.1 percent of respondents said 'Yes - I will wait for the right muhurat', followed by 19.3 percent who said 'I will consult a pandit', while 53.6 percent said 'No - I will go ahead with a court marriage'.