In India, matchmaking is a booming business! From traditional family go-betweens to celebrity matchmakers like Sima Aunty, a vast industry caters to those seeking love. We explore the rise of professional matchmaking, its methods, and the hefty price tag. Is it a guaranteed happily-ever-after, or a gamble with your heart?
Website: https://www.outlookindia.com/culture-society/cupid-inc-matchmaking-in-india
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Outlookindia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outlookindia/
X: https://twitter.com/Outlookindia
Whatsapp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaNrF3v0AgWLA6OnJH0R
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutlookMagazine
Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/outlookindia
#Cupid #Love #Matchmaking
Website: https://www.outlookindia.com/culture-society/cupid-inc-matchmaking-in-india
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Outlookindia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outlookindia/
X: https://twitter.com/Outlookindia
Whatsapp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaNrF3v0AgWLA6OnJH0R
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutlookMagazine
Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/outlookindia
#Cupid #Love #Matchmaking
Category
đ
NewsTranscript
00:00 Outlook brings to you excerpts from its latest issue titled
00:04 Outrageous, Outlandish, Ostentatious
00:08 that looks at the widening chasm in Indian weddings.
00:12 While Dalit grooms are attacked for riding a horse to the bride's house,
00:16 then there are top Bollywood stars dancing to the tune of big business.
00:21 Cupid Inc. by Vinita Mokil from Outlook.
00:25 Most professional matchmakers operate like big businesses today.
00:29 Super organized, digitally savvy, keen to extend their reach beyond Indian shores.
00:35 When 28-year-old Poornima returned to Delhi after a short stint of working as an interior designer in Mauritius,
00:43 marriage was the last thing on her mind.
00:46 She wanted to set up her own business.
00:48 Singleton suited her fine.
00:50 "My brother went behind my back and placed a matrimonial ad in a newspaper for me. She loves."
00:56 We got a flood of responses, mostly from men working in the Indian army.
01:01 They would often send their responses by post.
01:04 This was in the 1980s when newspaper ads and relatives were playing matchmakers to a large extent.
01:10 Of course, professional matchmakers were around at the time too,
01:14 but they hadn't upped their game to today's level.
01:17 According to Sourabh Goswami, managing director of Ahmedabad-based Ultra Rich Match,
01:23 there are about 5,000 registered matrimonial agencies in India currently.
01:27 Online matrimony sites such as Shadi.com, Bharat Matrimony, Jeevan Sathi, Vivaah.com,
01:34 Royal Matrimony, The Second Shadi, etc. add to the count.
01:39 Most professional matchmakers and agencies operate like big businesses today.
01:44 They're super organized, digitally savvy, keen to extend their reach beyond Indian shores.
01:50 "We are a team of 28 people based around the world, working from India, the US, London and Dubai,"
01:57 says Anuradha Gupta, founder and CEO, Vows for Eternity.
02:02 "Art is a curated, confidential, global platform which caters to members ranging from 23 to 65 years of age.
02:11 We're like an executive search firm you retain to outsource the best fit for life."
02:16 Seema Taparia aka Seema Aunty, star of Netflix's Indian Matchmaking,
02:21 took up matchmaking as a full-time profession in 2005.
02:26 She was already a familiar name in Mumbai's circus when she met the series executive producer in the city.
02:32 Seema Aunty has a roaster of clients in India, Canada, the US, the UK, Singapore and Australia.
02:40 Her services are on offer in any country where there's a sizable Indian population.
02:46 Like them or loathe them, matchmakers have been a part of societies across the world since ancient times.
02:54 Matchmakers make an appearance in epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
03:00 Jewish communities in Europe and Russia relied on a shahad khan, professional matchmaker.
03:06 In ancient Greece, a promnestria carried proposals to families and negotiated marriages.
03:12 The Japanese approached Omiyai to find suitable matches.
03:16 In India, a traditional arranged marriage maker is called a nayan.
03:21 The matchmaker, often a family friend or a relative,
03:25 played a neutral go-between when families were trying to fix an alliance.
03:29 They also acted as scouts, seeking possible matches after considering family background,
03:36 economic position and family reputation.
03:39 For this and more, read the latest issue of Outlook.