There is not one but a couple of reasons that the demand for an NRI groom has plunged. As India’s economy boomed and jobs opened up in the last decade, every girl or a boy with any education was able to grab one and rise higher in their profession with sheer hard work and grit. Undoubtedly, as Indians are known for their hard work, sincerity and professionalism, sky is the limit. Says a New Delhi based hair designer Neera Yadav, 27,

Doing anything outside this city is out of question for me. If I move from here, it means I have wasted all my years of hard work in making a name for myself in the industry. I don’t want to throw all that away for someone I don’t even know today.
Mr.L.Ravichander ,Chief Mentor, IdontWantDowry.com, a Hyderabad based website  finds that the girls looking for partners are specifically asking the NRI boys not to get in touch with them. Says he, “Most girls today are highly educated; hold high paying jobs with scope for moving up the ladder. They are more choosy today and don’t want to give that up for an NRI groom who is born and brought up in an alien culture and as in most cases we have seen is unable to adapt to the girl, her family and friends. One important change that has come up in the last few years is that women are more independent and assertive. They expect that their husbands adapt to their families the same way the girls do, which at most times is difficult for an NRI because of cultural differences”
News Producer Kalpana G worked for a Middle East newspaper for more than five years but decided to settle in New Delhi as the media industry grew and jobs were abound. Now 29, she is reluctant to give up her work for marriage. After living outside the country I realized that money does not remain the motivating factor for long. There is more to life than money and for me it is professional satisfaction and creativity. After a lot of research, I have concluded that India is the best place for me and it is easier for me to connect to my Indian colleagues than I would if I move out. No amount of money can lure me into leaving all this.”
Whether it is accounting, IT, media, academics, engineering, medical or any other profession, there is no dearth of work. Living in their own country and with the right education, it is not difficult for them to get a foot in the door. References count and someone somewhere knows someone somewhere. In an alien country, these girls are aware of the fact that once they leave the comfort of friendliness and family, the only person they can depend on would be their husband. And since they hardly know him, swimming in strange waters might turn their tide. And they are not ready to take the risk.
Yet another reason for Indian girls shunning boys from outside India is the reputation of NRIs.  As the internet became a household name in India, stories of unhappy abandoned brides have spread like  wildfire and parents are weary. In Punjab itself, there are as many as 18,000-20,000 women abandoned by the bahar-ka-munda (the foreign boy) as they call it and the unfortunate brides are labeled as holiday brides as they are used or abused when the boys visit India on a holiday, have a place to live like a king as it is customary in India to treat the son-in-law with more respect than they really deserve and shower them with gifts. Once the holiday is over, they leave with the promise to get the papers to bring them home only to be back again next year to say the visa did not go through. And if the wife and her family become too demanding after a couple of years and kids later, they never come back leaving those women feeling like prostitutes. Daljit Kaur, a Punjab based lawyer and women’s activist reportedly said in a recent media interview, “As many as 7000 of the British men have abandoned their brides.  The rest are mainly from the US, Canada and some other countries. You will be shocked to know that the youngest of these brides is in her teens and oldest is about 42 years who has been abandoned for 20 years. None of them have remarried as the stigma of abandonment lasts a life time.”
 However, of late the Indian government has woken up to the social crime as former union minister Balwant Ramoowalia of Lok Bhalai Party has taken as many as 1,100 cases of holiday brides to court and tried to find some other form of justice for the families. Politicians, police, society and families no more remain silent and vow for justice and revenge. Indian government states like Chattisgarh have gone to the extent of warning families opting to marry boys from abroad to collect all details and vital aspects before tying the knot. In a recent circular issued to district collectors by the Directorate of Women and Child Development, the government said: 'Keeping in view the growing cases of marriages by NRI persons through cheating with Indian girls, people are advised to be extremely cautious while entering into wedlock'. The circular directs collectors of all the 18 districts to 'brief people about legal aspects regarding marriages with NRI persons and also ensure its publicity through women awareness camps, women self-help groups and non-government organizations (NGOs) so that people can't fall prey to NRI marriages' .Officials say the government issued the circular after rising cases of divorce and other problems faced by brides and their family members were reported across the country
A popular Indian matchmaking website, lists 15 per cent decline in searches for NRI grooms. Says Ravichandra, It is not easy to lure an Indian bride today. Is it money? No, they have it here. Is it the malls, the McDonalds, the Satellite Television? No, they have better and cheaper stuff in India. Is it better professional prospects or the satisfaction of flying in an airplane? None as people in India holiday abroad more than people living in other countries do today. Professional satisfaction is there for all to see as even those who had made their home abroad are now looking to India to settle. People from countries like South Korea are coming to India to learn English and Hindi as they see more job prospects here.
Yet anther attraction that foreign educated boy settled in a foreign country earns more than the desi boy has waned. There is no dearth of educated boys with high flying jobs who are more of an attraction to the local girl than in a distant land. The lure of stability today is more attractive than the glamour of a distant land and floating dollars. Says Meesha an IT professional,” I think I am not brave enough to give up my job here, marry someone I dont know and settle there. This is familiar territory.”
 
The recent economic downfall, recession and layoffs in countries outside of India, has further strengthened the girls resolve to keep the NRI boys at bay. The evergreen demand for young men with dollars in their pockets has crashed by 20-30 per cent according to Indian marriage portals. Families of young girls are now going back to the most settled professions of doctors and engineers when looking for a groom. CEO of yet another matrimony website said in an interview, “Over the last year, we have seen a distinct change in the preferences made by Indian families in selecting a bridegroom for their girls. NRI grooms based in the US and the UK, who were the first choice earlier, have been relegated to the backseat. Families feel that if things go wrong in a marriage or there is a job loss, India will be a better place to sort things out. Pay member revenue by NRI grooms too has gone down for us as they are not getting enough responses." Will scams like Satyam or lack of basic amenities like power and water make a difference in their choice of an NRI groom? Not all says Kalpana.” We are all used to that, aren’t we?”
Mohini Kapoor (name changed), whose son has a stable job in an IT industry in California and works in a company not affected by the recent economic crisis, is looking for a bride for the last more than 2 years. Says she, “Those who are ready to move are the girls whom my son does not approve. He still is to find someone who is as educated as him and they have something in common.” It was not so difficult a few years back. No wonder Bollywood films like Whats your raashee was a flop in India but NRIs loved it while Preity Zintas Videsh had people thinking.
Undoubtedly, India was relatively protected from the worst effects of the world wide economic downturn, although growth has slowed, yet Indians working abroad in banking, telecom, finance, software or other industries have been hit harder. This phenomenon has further strengthened the girls resolve to stay close to home as support system is not far to seek. So move over NRI boy, the desi version is better!