LOOK BETTER ABSOLUTELY FEEL BETTER

 Look Good absolutely  Feel Better 

A woman applying makeup is sort of like a man donning armor to prepare himself for battle. Makeup gives you confidence. It helps you exude the best possible version of yourself 

As I say in my second book, "Face to Face," “Looking good leads to feeling good, feeling good leads to empowerment.” When you put your best face forward, it gives you the opportunity to really accelerate in life. Feeling good commands respect. And that’s really empowering. 

Years ago I worked with Katherine Albrecht, a privacy and anti-surveillance activist and lobbyist who’s in Congress fighting men in suits every day. I felt that her beauty would give her an edge as a "freedom fighter." People listen to beautiful people. She told me that her makeover changed her whole approach in Congress. 

No matter who you are, no matter what your life state is, you always have the ability to make yourself feel better. Don't give up and fall into self loathing; if you look your best, you feel your best. You will find that doors open for you, and that people want to be around you. There’s power in that, no matter who you are. 

For celebrities, makeup is important because they're always campaigning for Oscars, new movie roles, positive public opinion; they want to feel their most comfortable and not feel vulnerable. But all women have the ability to use beauty as a tool. A man can't work a skirt, mascara and blowout to light up a room the way a woman can. Use it. 

New Year’s Eve is a new lease on life – new year, new you – no matter what your age, weight, economic situation – it’s never too late. Beauty is not necessarily frivolous, it’s empowering, and improves your state of mind. If you look at yourself and feel better, that's power. There’s a direct correlation between inner beauty and outer beauty – the way you view yourself is the way others view you, too. 

Use beauty to bolster yourself and the people around you, not just for vanity. Use beauty to create positive change.

The Look Good Feel Better program

The Look Good Feel Better program was founded and developed in 1989 by the Personal Care Products Council (at the time called the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association, or CTFA), a charitable organization supported by the cosmetic industry, in cooperation with the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the Professional Beauty Association (or PBA), a national organization that represents hairstylists, wig experts, estheticians, makeup artists, and other professionals in the cosmetic industry

NEW LIST OF WORLD RICHEST MAN

Jeff Bezos beats out Bill Gates to become world’s richest person

Ahead of its earnings later today, Amazon stock hit an all-time high during intraday trading and with it CEO Jeff Bezos’ estimated wealth hit $140 billion, Bloomberg reports. This number pushes the net worth of the Amazon founder past that of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, still sitting pretty with $90.7 billion, earning Bezos the title of world’s richest person.




Bezos ending the day as the world’s richest depends on Amazon (and Microsoft) stock holding steady. After the bell, Amazon will report its second-quarter earnings. Today’s jump in share price comes even as investors are expecting Amazon to announce a decline in year-over-year profits today, though the Street also expects revenues to skyrocket 22 percent to $37.2 billion.


Amazon has been riding high over the past year as its ambitions to offer an alternative to the world of brick-and-mortar retail has shifted into one that may completely upend it. In December, the company unveiled its Amazon Go concept stores, a move that made a lot more sense after it made its bid last month to acquire grocer Whole Foods for $13.7 billion.



Amazon’s market cap currently sits at $513 billion. Bezos own about 17 percent of the company. In addition to running Amazon, Bezos also owns the Washington Post and is starting a rocket company called Blue Origins

2).

2. Bill Gates

Net Worth: $101 billion
Co-Founder: Microsoft Corp.



One of the two Harvard dropouts in the Top Five, Bill Gates' knack for increasing wealth is staggering, even for a rich guy. The Microsoft co-founder's net worth has more than doubled since 2009.

Through the Bill and malindra gate foundation, he has also spent billions to fight polio and malaria. Additionally, he pledged $50 million in 2014 to help fight Ebola. (For related reading, see: Where Does Bill Gates Keep His Money?)

Bill Gates is currently a board member for Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway Inc.Now a day bill have 101 billions dollar and he is a second richests man in world.
The e-commerce magnate, who was the fourth richest person at the beginning of the year, overtook Microsoft co-founder Gates earlier in the day after Amazon shares rose 1.8pc to $1,071 (£820). 

3) Warren Buffett

Net Worth: $95 billion
Best Investor of the 20th Century.He first bought shares in a textile company called Berkshire Hathaway in 1962, becoming the majority shareholder by 1965. He expanded the company to the insurance and other investments in 1967. Now, Berkshire Hathaway is a half-trillion-dollar company, with a single share of stock trading at over $300,000 per share in early 2019.



Warren Buffett is widely known as “The Oracle of Omaha” because of his knack for value investing, in other words, finding bargains in undervalued companies. While most investors have been piling into social media companies, Buffett has repeatedly stated that it’s too difficult to determine their value, and has instead stuck with investments that he thinks will pay off 10 years down the road. He is also a noted Bitcoin skeptic.

MOSQISUITOES IS IMPORTANT TO HUMAN LIFE

What would happen if all of the mosquitoes suddenly died?

Muitoes are known to carry manyosq infectious diseases frommicroorganisms, including viruses and parasites. Mosquito-borne ill several different classes of nesses include malaria, West Nile virus, elephantiasis, dengue fever, yellow fever and several types of encephalitis.

People and animals from the wet lands will no more endure their stings too.

Also the economic impact is huge, people need medicines and professional healthcare otherwise they may die. The workforce is reduced too. All these cause a drop in GDP of the affected countries.

Have you ever been annoyed by having to swat and clap aimlessly to ward off the biggest (and probably, the most irksome) threat ever posed by a singular winged-creature? Of course you have. Mosquitoes definitely make our lives a wee bit more difficult (and itchy), especially when they have the chance of afflicting you with lethal diseases or causing you to perform some weird dance steps like these…There are almost 3500 species of mosquitoes on the planet, 200 of which are known to attack humans. Out of these, there are three specific species (Anopheles, Culex and Aedes) that are responsible for transmitting certain dangerous diseases, such as yellow fever and malaria.

Have you ever thought about what would happen if mosquitoes just went extinct?+

So, again: what would be so bad about just killing the little b******s? You’d think that question would provoke outrage and backlash from the mosquito-studying community, but in recent years some high-profile mosquito experts upended that assumption. Despite lifetimes spent studying the insects, they argue that mosquitoes could be exterminated with little global impact. The animals of the world might just buy us dinner, as thanks.

HOW TO MAKE SUCCESSFUL BUSSINESS MAN IN THE WORLD

How what i do helps you grow your business

special contribute from Amir for making good article..

                       Like many business owners, I wasn't born to be an entrepreneur, I never planned on running a business, and I most assuredly had no experience in successfully growing one.  However, over the course of my nearly 21 years of business ownership, I have learned a few things that have helped keep the bumps and bruises to a minimum while maintaining double-digit growth year over year. Regardless of the industry you are in, you can be highly successful if you live by these very simple ideologies:

1. Know what you do and what you don't do.

Some of the best advice I learned early on was  don't try to be all things to all people, because it typically means you are not very good at any one thing. As such, I believe that it is a mistake to take on far-reaching service offerings, develop products outside your comfort zone or expand outside of your target markets just to make a few extra bucks. When you do that, you jeopardize your true strength to focus on what you may not be successful at and create undo pressures for your team, your budgets, and your company as a whole.

2. Stay focused on the prize.

We have always tried to be very strategic in our approach to growth. We set three year business plans, track against those plans, and modify them when necessary. I believe that if you don't set goals you have no way of measuring yourself, your team and your company against some pre-determined objectives. When everyone understands in a very crystal clear way what the overall goals of the organization are, it allows everyone to rally together and take pride in successfully accomplishing them.

3. Remember that people work for people, not companies.

It is rare when a business can successfully operate and grow without talented people. In fact, we often talk about our people being the only asset we have to sell and we are always looking for ways to improve our culture, our benefits, and the reasons why employees would want to keep working for us. I believe that many companies forget that true loyalty comes when employees believe that the organization and its leadership team care about them personally and professionally. This ultimately results in long-tenured employees, which has a very real and direct effect on company growth.

4. Running a business well is different than being good at a trade or profession.

I have often said that just because someone is good in PR, it doesn't mean they will be good at running a PR agency. The same is true for any profession. Growing a successful business is all about having a good business mind, combined with a strong skillset in your particular area of expertise. The behind-the-scenes side of business--such as process, people management, billing and operations--are critical to business success. I have seen a number of very smart people get into business only to ultimately fail because they didn't look at their business through the lens of operational success, and instead focused solely on being good at their profession.

5. Passion is contagious.

When you love what you do it shows to the people surrounding you every day in the office, facility or production plant. Showing excitement and enthusiasm cannot be underscored enough in terms of how it relates to your team working harder, being more focused, and ultimately more successful at their job. This translates to a better end-product. The opposite can be said for someone who is an unhappy person, leads through negative motivation, creates a challenging work environment or frankly doesn't love what they do.

6. Challenge yourself to always keep improving.

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More:

Technology is changing the world we live in every day. In order to stay relevant, it is important to innovate, regardless of your industry, as well as want to get better. This could mean new programs, new thinking or new processes. I believe that you are either moving forward or you are becoming obsolete. At Formula, we are constantly looking at our way of doing things and looking for ways to improve our end product, improve our client relations skills, and become more efficient at what we do, which ultimately drives greater profitability.

HOW MUCH BLACK MONEY IN INDIA ?

Indian black money

I thankful of mitcky jen for helping me...and making a good article on corrupted people or black money ..


From
 mitky2.blogspot.com

              In India, black money refers to funds earned on the black market, on which income and other taxes have not been paid. The total amount of black money deposited in foreign banks by Indians is unknown. Some reports claim a total of US$1.06 trillion is held illegally in Switzerland.Other reports, including those reported by theSwiss Bankers Association and the Government of Switzerland, claim these reports are false and fabricated, and the total amount held in all Swiss bank accounts by citizens of India is about US$2 billion.

In February 2012, the director of India's Central Bureau of Investigation said that Indians have US$500 billion of illegal funds in foreign tax havens, more than any other country. In March 2012, the government of India clarified in its parliament that the CBI director's statement on $500 billion of illegal money was an estimate based on a statement made to India's Supreme Court in July 2011.

In a televised address on 8th November 2016 by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Midi, it was announced that banknotes of ₹500 and ₹1000 would cease to be legal tender from midnight. Automatic teller machines(ATM)at some places were closed on 9th and 10th November. Government organisations have brought out new notes. The Govt of India had accepted the proposal of RBI in bringing out ₹2000 banknotes and a new version of the ₹500. The old notes are being removed from circulation.

Source of black money

Some Indian corporations practice transfer mispricing by under-invoicing their exports and over-invoicing their imports from tax haven countries such as Singapore, UAE, and Hong Kong. Thus the promoters of the public limited companies who hold rarely more than 10% of share capital, earn black money abroad at the cost of majority share holders and tax income to the Indian government. By the year 2008, the cumulative Illicit Financial Out flows from the country touched US$ 452 billions.

Politicians, political parties corrupt higher officials of government and its institutions take bribes from foreign companies and park or invest the money abroad in tax havens for transferring to India when needed. Many times locally earned bribes, funds and collections are also routed abroad through hawala channels for evading from Indian tax authorities and consequent legal implications.

In the Vodafone-Huthchison tax case, a foreign multinational company also evaded tax payments in India by making transactions with shell companies registered in tax haven countries.

The unlawfully acquired money kept abroad is routed back to India by the round tripping processes. Round tripping involves getting the money out of one country, sending it to a place like Mauritius and then, dressed up to look like foreign capital, sending it back home to earn tax-favoured profits.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is one of the legal channels to invest in Indian stock and financial markets. As per data released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), two of the topmost sources of the cumulative inflows from April 2000 to March 2011 are Mauritius (41.80 per cent, US$54.227 billions) and Singapore (9.17 per cent, US$11.895 billions). Mauritius and Singapore with their small economies cannot be the sources of such huge investments and it is apparent that the investments are routed through these jurisdictions for avoidance of taxes and for concealing the identities from the revenue authorities of the ultimate investors, many of whom could actually be Indian residents, who have invested in their own companies.

Investment in the Indian stock market through participatory notes (PNs) or overseas derivative instruments (ODIs) is another way in which the black money generated by Indians is re-invested in India. The investor in PNs does not hold the Indian securities in her or his own name. These are legally held by the FIIs, but derive economic benefits from fluctuations in prices of the Indian securities, as also dividends and capital gains, through specifically designed contracts..

Foreign funds received by charitable organisations, non-government organisations (NGOs) and other associations need not disclose the Indian beneficiary.

Gold import through official channel and smuggling is a major conduit to bring back the black money from abroad and convert into local black money as the gold commands high demand among the rural investors particularly. Also fictitious high value round trip transactions via tax haven countries by diamonds and precious stones exporters and importers is a channel for to and fro transactions outside the country. Also, fictitious software exports can be booked by software companies to bring black money into India as tax exemptions are permitted to software companies.

Unlike in earlier decades, the interest rates offered abroad in US currency is negligible and there is no capital appreciation if the money is parked abroad by the Indians. So, Indians are routing their foreign funds back to India as the capital appreciation in Indian capital markets is far more attractive.

Black money in Swiss banks

In early 2011, several reports Indian media alleged Swiss Bankers Association officials to have said that the largest depositors of illegal foreign money in Switzerland are Indians.These allegations were later denied by Swiss Bankers Association as well as the central bank of Switzerland that tracks total deposits held in Switzerland by Swiss and non-Swiss citizens, and by wealth managers as fiduciaries of non-Swiss citizens.

James Nason of Swiss Bankers Association in an interview about allowed black money from India, suggests "The (black money) figures were rapidly picked up in the Indian media and in Indian opposition circles, and circulated as gospel truth. However, this story was a complete fabrication. The Swiss Bankers Association never said or published such a report. Anyone claiming to have such figures (for India) should be forced to identify their source and explain the methodology used to produce them."

In August 2010, the government revised the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement to provide means for investigations of black money in Swiss banks. This revision, expected to become active by January 2012, will allow the government to make inquiries of Swiss banks in cases where they have specific information about possible black money being stored in Switzerland.

In 2011, the Indian government received the names of 782 Indians who had accounts with HSBC. As of December, 2011, the Finance Ministry has refused to reveal the names, for privacy reasons, though they did confirm that no current Members of Parliament are on the list. In response to demands from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opposition party for the release of the information, the government announced on 15 December that, while it would not publish the names, it would publish a white paper about the HSBC information.

According to White Paper on Black Money in India report, published in May 2012, Swiss National Bank estimates that the total amount of deposits in all Swiss banks, at the end of 2010, by citizens of India were CHF 1.95 billion (INR 92.95 billion, US$2.1 billion). The Swiss Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed these figures upon request for information by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. This amount is about 700 fold less than the alleged $1.4 trillion in some media reports.

In February 2012, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director A P Singh speaking at the inauguration of first Interpol global programme on anti-corruption and asset recovery said: "It is estimated that around 500 billion dollars of illegal money belonging to Indians is deposited in tax havens abroad. Largest depositors in Swiss Banks are also reported to be Indians". In a hint at scams involving ministers, Singh said: "I am prompted to recall a famous verse from ancient Indian scriptures, which says – यथा राजा तथा प्रजा. In other words, if the King is immoral so would be his subjects" The CBI Director later clarified in India's parliament that the $500 billion of illegal money was an estimate based on a statement made to India's Supreme Court in July 2011.

After formal inquiries and tallying data provided by banking officials outside India, the government of India claimed in May 2012 that the deposits of Indians in Swiss banks constitute only 0.13 per cent of the total bank deposits of citizens of all countries. Further, the share of Indians in the total bank deposits of citizens of all countries in Swiss banks has reduced from 0.29 per cent in 2006 to 0.13 per cent in 2010.

The through the Investigation Division of the Central Board of Direct Taxes released a White Paper on Black Money giving the Income Tax Department increased powers.

2015 HSBC leaks[edit]

In February 2015, Indian Express released the list of 1195 Indians account holders and their balances for the year 2006-07 in HSBC's Geneva branch. The list was obtained by French newspaper Le Monde and included the names of several prominent businessmen, diamond traders and politicians. The number of Indian HSBC clients is roughly double the 628 names that French authorities gave to the Indian Government in 2011.Indian government said it will probe into this matter.^[ The balance against the 1195 names stood at ₹25,420 crore (US$3.9 billion).

The list which had names of dictators and international criminals, was simultaneously published by news organisations in 45 countries including The Guardian, UK; Haaretz, Israel; BBC, London.HSBC had helped its clients evade taxes and said in a statement that "standards of due diligence were significantly lower than today."

2016 Panama Papers leak

Main article: Panama Papers

The 2016 Panama Papers scandal is the largest-ever leak of information on black money in history. International Consortium of Investigative Journalists first obtained the leaked information, revealing over 11 million documents. These documents pertain to 214,000 offshore entities and span almost 40 years. The papers originated from Mossack Fonseca, a Panama-based law firm with offices in more than 35 countries. The list of names exposed in the scandal includes 500 Indians who flouted rules and regulations, such as Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Niira Radia,kP Singh, Garware family, Harish Salve, and others.

Domestic black money

Indian companies are reportedly misusing public trusts for money laundering. India has no centralized repository— like the registrar of companies for corporates—of information on public trusts.

SIT on black money

Noted jurist and former law minister Ram Jethmalani along with many other well known citizens filed a Writ Petition (Civil) No. 176 of 2009 in the Supreme Court of India (SC) seeking the court's directions to help bring back black money stashed in tax havens abroad and initiate efforts to strengthen the governance framework to prevent further creation of black money.

In January 2011, the SC asked why the names of those who have stashed money in the Liechtenstein Bank have not been disclosed.The court argued that the government should be more forthcoming in releasing all available information on what it called a "mind-boggling" amount of money that is believed to be held illegally in foreign banks.

The SC on 4 July 2011, ordered the appointment of a Special Investigating Team (SIT) headed by former SC judge BP Jeevan Reddy to act as a watch dog and monitor investigations dealing with the black money. This body would report to the SC directly and no other agency will be involved in this. The two judge bench observed that the failure of the government to control the phenomenon of black money is an indication of weakness and softness of the government.

The issue of unaccounted monies held by nationals, and other legal entities, in foreign banks, is of primordial importance to the welfare of the citizens. The quantum of such monies may be rough indicators of the weakness of the State, in terms of both crime prevention, and also of tax collection. Depending on the volume of such monies, and the number of incidents through which such monies are generated and secreted away, it may very well reveal the degree of "softness of the State."

— Justice B Sudershan Reddy and Justice S S Nijjar, Supreme Court of India, Source:

The government subsequently challenged this order through Interlocutory Application No. 8 of 2011. The bench (consisting of Justice Altamas Kabir in place of Justice B Sudershan Reddy, since Justice Reddy retired) on 23 September 2011 pronounced a split verdict on whether government plea is maintainable. Justice Kabir said that the plea is maintainable while Justice Nijjar said it is not. Due to this split verdict, the matter will be referred to a third judge.

In April 2014, Indian Government disclosed to the Supreme Court the names of 26 people who had accounts in banks in Liechtenstein, as revealed to India by German authorities.

On 27 October 2014, Indian Government submitted name of three people in an affidavit to the Supreme Court who have black money account in foreign countries. But on the very next day, Supreme Court of India orders centre Government to reveal all the names of black money account holders which they had received from various countries like Germany. The honorable bench of the Supreme court also asked the Centre not to indulge in any kind of probe rather just pass the names to them and Supreme court will pass the order for further probe.

But the facts were the other way round, as the clarification affidavit filed by the Finance Ministry on October 27 revealed. The affidavit asserted that a complete list of cases where information had been obtained from the German and French governments, with the status of the action taken by the government was submitted by the Central Board of Direct Taxes on June 27. It added that the CBDT officials also met and briefed the SIT on the status of the cases, background of the information received, non-sharing of information by Swiss authorities, and constraints faced by the government and alternative methods of securing account details.

On 12 May 2015, Ram Jethmalani attacked Modi Government for failing to bring back the Black money as was promised before Election.

On 2 November 2015, HSBC whistleblower Herve Falciani said he is willing to "cooperate" with the Indian investigative agencies in black money probe but would need "protection".Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav furnished a letter written by Falciani on 21 August 2015, to Justice (retd) M B Shah, who is heading the SIT on black money.Under the supervision of the SIT the I-T department has recovered just around Rs 3,500 crore from some of the account holders and expected to recover a total of 10000 crore till March 2015.

TRAFFIC SYSTEM WHY NOT HANDLE IN MOST COUNTRY?

HOW TO CONTROL TRAFFIC SYSTEM. 
When you arrive in India for the first time, you are in for a big culture shock depending on which part of the world you’re coming from as far as traffic in India is concerned. At its best, its chaotic, which is perhaps a light word to describe the traffic in India; the word better used would be “manic”. As soon as you step out of the airport, you’re going to feel extremely hot. Imagine this, you have something cooking in the oven and you want to check if it’s done or not so you open the door with your face close to the oven and then it hits you, the heat of course. This is exactly what it’s like walking out of the airport in India in the summer.

You then step in a prepaid taxi and travel towards the centre of the city. You can’t help noticing the huge number of cars, buses, auto-rickshaws, all cramped in one small lane and honking at each other. Sometimes even I have to wonder if it will ever improve. But to be honest, I have witnessed traffic going from bad to worse. Perhaps it’s the economic prosperity, perhaps it’s the price of cars falling, or perhaps it’s the lack of vision of the Indian transport ministry, or lack of pragmatism or simply red tape in dealing with traffic matters’, I don’t know but the traffic situation in most parts of the country is extremely bad. Indians have to endure such traffic twice a day, 5 times a week.

There are no traffic rules in India (…most of the time)


You’re bound to get some experience of India’s chaotic streets. You’ll notice that driving in India is not about following traffic rules; it’s about convenience and driving how you please. If you have a bigger vehicle, you have the right of way. You’ll find buses racing towards roundabouts not taking into considering what’s coming from the other exist; you won’t find trucks stopping at give ways, or pillion riders with helmets and no one uses indicators, there will be underage bike riders, whole families travel on two wheelers and so on. Everything seems to be a state of anarchy in eyes of a first time tourist to India. The fact is that there are no traffic rules in India

Then there are the pigs chewing away at the garbage dump on the side of the road, dogs wandering around looking for food and then the cows and goats grazing as if they own the roads. If you’re in Jaipur, you’ll find wild monkeys as well. Nowhere in the world, will you find such madness except in India. Compared to western standards, traffic and road safety, road regulations or traffic rules or etiquettes in India are nothing more than a joke.


However, even though it’s chaotic and very extremely dangerous, the system somehow works. Things like road rage or drink drive do exist but it’s not as bad as some countries of the world such as New York City or Miami. However sad reality is that more people are killed in traffic accidents than in any other country.

Don’t be surprised to see scenes like this.

What to expect and how to be careful on Indian roads:


When crossing the road; if you are in multiples then hold your hands and walk together slowly, looking on either way.

Zebra crossings do exist but it’s mostly for decorative purposes, most Indians don’t even know what it is. So be careful. In other words, don’t bother using it.
Watch out on roundabouts or give ways, rules are often flaunted and don’t expect anyone to stop and let you cross the road.

There are no such thing as road etiquettes, be prepared to be honked it.


Be prepared to sit in traffic for hours especially during rush hour.


Be prepared to face beggars and street vendors while waiting in traffic.


If you’re driving and you do see a cow, drive around it. If you accidently hit the cow then be prepared to be sent to prison (I think this is a myth). I haven’t seen anyone hit a cow before.


The top 2 worst traffic cities in India are New Delhi, none other than India’s capital and Mumbai, the financial capital of India. With a population of 14 million, seems as if every single seems to be out on the streets during rush hour in Delhi. The trouble with Mumbai commuters is that they think the car in front is run by their horn and not gasoline.


But be it cars, taxis, rickshaws, motorbikes, scooters, pedestrians, cows and goats, it’s all controlled chaos and everything does seem to work and there is really nothing to worry about. All you need to do is brave it and come back alive. Make sure you buy your travel insurance!


This video was recently taken by a friend of mine in Agra (city where the Taj Mahal is located). You can pretty much expect similar kind of traffic across India.

Arranged marriage vs Love marriage Which is Best ?

Arranged marriage  vs Love marriage

• Arranged marriages were very common throughout the world until the 18th century.Typically, marriages were arranged by parents, grandparents or other relatives. Some historical exceptions are known, such as courtship and betrothal rituals during the Renaissance period of Italy. and Gandharva marriages in the Vedic period of India.
  

In China, arranged marriages  sometimes called blind marriages - were the norm before the mid-20th century. A marriage was a negotiation and decision between parents and other older members of two families. The boy and girl were typically told to get married, without a right to consent, even if they had never met each other until the wedding day.

Arranged marriages were the norm in Russia before the early 20th century, most of which were en-dogamous

Until the first half of the 20th century, arranged marriages were common in migrant families in the United States.They were sometimes called picture-bride marriages among Japanese American immigrants because the bride and groom knew each other onsmigrants were typically arranged by parents, or relatives from the country of their origin. As immigrants settled in and melded into a new culture, arranged marriages shifted first to quasi-arranged marriages where parents or friends made introductions and the couple met before the marriage; over time, the marriages among the descendants of these immigrants shifted to autonomous marriages driven by individual's choice, dating and courtship preferences, along with an increase in interracial marriages.Similar historical dynamics are claimed in other parts of the world.

Arranged marriages have declined in prosperous countries with social mobility and increasing individualism; nevertheless, arranged marriages are still seen in countries of Europe and North America, among royal families, aristocrats and minority religious groups such as in placement marriage among Fundamentalist Mormon groups of the United States. In most other parts of the world, arranged marriages continue to varying degrees and increasingly in quasi-arranged form, along with autonomous marriages.

Comparison

• parents or guardians select, the individuals are neither consulted nor have any say before the marriage (forced arranged marriage)Marriages have been categorized into four groups in scholarly studies:
• parents or guardians select, then the individuals are consulted, who consider and consent, and each individual has the power to refuse; sometimes, the individuals meet - in family setting or privately - before engagement and marriage as in shidduch custom among Orthodox Jews
• individuals select, then parents or guardians are consulted, who consider and consent, and where parents or guardians have the power of veto
• individuals select, the parents or guardians are neither consulted nor have any say before the marriage (autonomous marriage)

Gary Lee and Lorene Stone suggest that most adult marriages in recent modern history, are some gradation between extreme example of either ideal arranged or ideal autonomous marriage, in part because marriage is a social institution.^[13] Similarly, Broude and Greene, after studying 142 cultures worldwide, have reported that 130 cultures have elements of arranged marriage.

Extreme examples of forced arranged marriage have been observed in some societies, particularly in child marriages of girls below age 12. Illustrations include vani which is currently seen in some tribal / rural parts of Pakistan, and Shim-pua marriage in Taiwan before the 1970s (Tongyangxi in China).

Types

There are many kinds of arranged marriages, some of these are:

• Arranged  marriage: is one where a third party finds and selects the bride and groom irrespective of their social, economic and cultural group.
• Arranged endogamous marriage: is one where a third party finds and selects the bride and groom from a particular social, economic and cultural group.
• Consanguineous marriage: is a type of arranged endogamous marriage. It is one where the bride and groom share a grandparent or near ancestor. Examples of these include first cousin marriages, uncle-niece marriages, second cousin marriages, and so on. The most common consanguineous marriages are first cousin marriages, followed by second cousin and uncle-niece marriages. Between 25 and 40% of all marriages in parts of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are first cousin marriages; while overall consanguineous arranged marriages exceed 65 to 80% in various regions of North Africa and Central Asia.

The bride and groom in all of the above types of arranged marriages, usually do have the right to consent; if the bride or the groom or both do not have a right to consent, it is called a forced marriage.

Non-consanguineous arranged marriage is one where the bride and groom do not share a grandparent or near ancestor. This type of arranged marriages is common in Hindu and Buddhist South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and Christian Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa.

Consanguineous marriages are against the law in many parts of United States and Europe. In the United Kingdom, uncle-niece marriages are considered incestuous and are illegal, but cousin marriages are not considered incestuous by the law and are legal, although there have been calls to ban first-cousin marriages due to health concerns. While consanguineous arranged marriages are common and culturally preferred in Islamic countries and migrants from Muslim countries to other parts of the world, they are culturally forbidden or considered undesirable in most Christian, Hindu and Buddhist societies. Consanguineous arranged marriages were common in Jewish communities before the 20th century, but have declined to less than 10% in modern 

Love marriage

in Europe

In 1761, Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote Julie, or the New Heloise. The title is a reference to Peter Abelard, a 12th-century philosopher, who fell in love with his pupil, Héloïse d'Argenteuil. They had a child and secretly married. When Heloise's guardian found this, he had Abelard castrated. The story was well-known at Rousseau's time, after their letter had been published. Rousseau's book, Julie, is about the titular character and her tutor St. Preux. The book is written in the form of letters. Julie's father opposes the relation and marries her to another man, whom he considers more suitable.According to historian Stephanie Coontz, marriages for love and personal reasons began to appear in the 14th century. It began to become popular in the early 17th century.

According to Coontz, the marriages between Anglo-Saxons were organised to establish peace and trading relationships. In the 11th century, marriages were organised on the basis of securing economics advantages or political ties. The wishes of the couples were not considered important. The bride was especially expected to defer to her father's wishes. In 1140, Decretum Gratiani was written by Gratian. It made consent of the couple a requirement for marriage. This book became the foundation of the policy of the Christian Church on marriage.

The marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert also made love marriage more acceptable in the minds of the British public in the Victoria era where love marriages were on the rise.

In India

In India, the term love marriage is used to describe a marriage which is decided upon by the couple, with or without consulting their parents or families. These marriages may breakcaste, community and religion barriers. Social hurdles remain as arranged marriages are preferred over love marriages in most parts of the country.

Love marriage started becoming popular in urban areas in 1970s. Initially, love marriages occurred between acceptable communities. The boundaries between the two types have started to blur. The term love-arranged marriage is used to describe a new emerging form of marriage which contains elements of both arranged marriage and love marriage.Love marriages are seen as imposition of the younger generation's will over the older generation's wishes.

In a 2012 survey conducted by for the TV channel NDTV, 74% of the respondents said that they preferred an arranged marriage.In 2010, the National Commission for Women (NCW) released a report stating that it had documented 326 cases of honour killing in the past year, majority of which were due to Inter-caste marriages.

In a 2014 survey conducted by the United Nations Population Fund and International Center for Research on Women, 11.7% of men and 8.5% of women surveyed claimed that they chose their partners and married with or without the consent of their families.^[1

In Egypt

In Egypt, love marriages, especially interfaith marriages, are generally considered socially unacceptable. Interfaith marriages are often seen as a tactic to recruit members from other religion. Such marriages sometimes result in sectarian violence. According to Egyptian law, a man from another religion must convert to Islam to marry a Muslim woman. However, a Christian woman may marry a Muslim man without converting; but officials require the woman to produce a letter of approval from her church, which is rarely granted.

In Pakistan

In Pakistan, arranged marriages are the norm and love marriage is rare in the society. Several cases of honour killing are recorded every year.In most cases, the woman is killed, however in some cases couples are killed. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan counted about 869 such cases reported in the media, it noted that many such cases may also be unreported.

Dowry system in India

The Dowry system in India refers to the durable goods, cash, and real or movable property that the bride's family gives to the bridegroom, his parents, or his relatives as a condition of the marriage.It is essentially in the nature of a payment in cash or some kind of gifts given to the bridegroom's family along with the bride and includes cash, jewellery, electrical appliances, furniture, bedding, crockery, utensils and other household items that help the newlyweds set up their home. Dowry is referred to as Jahez inArabic (derived from Islamic jahez-e-fatimi).In far eastern parts of India, dowry is called AaunA court judgement clarifies the legal definition of dowry asThe dowry system is thought to put great financial burden on the bride's family. In some cases, the dowry system leads to crime against women, ranging from emotional abuse, injury to even deaths The payment of dowry has long been prohibited under specific Indian laws including, the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 and subsequently by Sections 304B and 498A of theIndian Penal Code.

“Dowry” in the sense of the expression contemplated by Dowry Prohibition Act is a demand for property of valuable security having an inextricable nexus with the marriage, i.e., it is a consideration from the side of the bride’s parents or relatives to the groom or his parents and/or guardian for the agreement to wed the bride-to-be.

The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 article 3 specifies that the penalty for giving or taking dowry does not apply to presents which are given at the time of a marriage to the bride or bridegroom, when no demand for them have been made.

Although Indian laws against dowries have been in effect for decades, they have been largely criticised as being ineffective.The practice of dowry deaths and murders continues to take place unchecked in many parts of India and this has further added to the concerns of enforcement.

Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code required the bridegroom and his family to be automatically arrested if a wife complains of dowry harassment. The law was widely abused and in 2014, the Supreme Court ruled that arrests can only be made with a magistrate’s approval. 

Advantages of Dowry System in India

Though the practice of dowry is publicly condemned, legally banned and morally despised of in practice it still persists as some of the supporters of this system argue that this practice has its advantages. Some of the arguments in favour of dowry by the supporters of this system are discussed here under.

1. Dowry helps newly married couple to establish their family:

The advocates of the practice of dowry say that the dowry, money, utensils and other house hold articles that a bride brings at the time of marriage help the newly married couple to establish their new home and also enables them to furnish their home with necessary accessories.

Disadvantages of Dowry System in India

In modern times this custom has taken magnified proportion and has emerged as contemptible social evil because this system has more disadvantages than advantages. Practice of dowry which assumed the form of an institution over the years has caused lots of hardship to large number of people in the Indian society. It reduces the sacred institution of marriage to business transaction. It has degraded a young maiden to the level of a saleable commodity. Dowry has virtually become a menace in the Indian society. Its practice leads to various evil consequences among which the following may be noted.

1. Dowry causes great economic burden on bride’s family:

Dowry has become a great economic burden to the middle and lower class families. These people live hand to mouth. They rarely save money. They spend their resources to meet their necessary want, for children’s education and in meeting various social obligations.