The founder of shaadi.com tells you all there is to know about Indians and shaadis.
🎥: Raj Shamani
🎥: Raj Shamani
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00:00Boys are very shy.
00:01In India, we don't have so much social interaction and dating.
00:05So, a lot of boys are very awkward.
00:10People in India say that India is crazy about IITs and IIMs.
00:14Right?
00:14But India has a bigger obsession.
00:16Their biggest obsession is marriage.
00:18Yes.
00:18Except you, what else do they want you to do?
00:20Why me? What is this to me?
00:23But India's biggest obsession is marriage.
00:25Look, I'll tell you why it's yours.
00:27Look, what's in India...
00:29You'll see the biggest problem.
00:31The biggest problem.
00:32And why did we start solving marriage.com?
00:35Why did we start?
00:36Why did I start marriage.com?
00:38Because in India, our culture is different.
00:44What happens in the West?
00:46Two people meet, chemical reaction.
00:48If it happens, if you fall in love, you get married.
00:52In India, it is not an if question.
00:54It is a when question.
00:55We have stages in life, right?
00:58Cultural, you read it.
01:02All our books will talk about it.
01:04Read about our religion.
01:05The second stage is domestic marriage.
01:07And you can't do domestic marriage alone.
01:10So there are stages in life until you reach the stage of renunciation.
01:13Okay?
01:14So it is a when question.
01:15So it has increased a little these days.
01:18Between 24 and 32, there is a lot of pressure on everyone.
01:22Yeah.
01:23And the problem with girls in India is that they don't get good boys.
01:28The boys are very shy.
01:29We don't have so much social interaction, dating, etc.
01:34So many boys are awkward.
01:35Girls are more open and bold.
01:38And boys pick late.
01:41Their life is made after 35.
01:43Okay?
01:44And girls want to get a successful boy of their age.
01:49So they have trouble.
01:50So if you are 25 years old, you are successful, you make good money.
01:56So why are you depriving them of boys?
01:59What is this?
02:00This podcast is going in the wrong direction.
02:05You have a valid point.
02:06There are stages in India and culture is outside.
02:09But I'll complete this thing.
02:13First of all, India's obsession is marriage.
02:15Right.
02:17Because whether you go to IIT or not, you have to get married.
02:19Every parent has to get their children married.
02:21In fact, in tier 2, tier 3 cities you go, people only earn that they will get their children married one day.
02:26Right?
02:27That's fun.
02:28When you realized that you are married, what is their next obsession?
02:32The biggest obsession is buying a house.
02:33In India, in the US, there is a culture that stay on rent.
02:36It's not buying versus renting.
02:38That's why we started Makan.com.
02:40You guys started Makan.com, right?
02:41And that's why we keep the brand like this.
02:43Shadi.com, Makan.com.
02:45Once you get it in your head, no one else can replace you.
02:49Exactly.
02:50So, Shadi.com, Makan.com.
02:51Then I was reading the third thing that your mother-in-law, daughter-in-law,
02:56everyone starts saying in your house that you should get married and have a child.
03:00And then you started Moj.com.
03:02Moj Mobile.
03:03To make people play games.
03:04So, you caught all three obsessions and your time is like the country.
03:10And that's very smart.
03:11I don't know if that was the reason or not.
03:13But it was smart.
03:15No, it was a reason.
03:16Of course, our timing was a little wrong.
03:18Makan.com now has grown well.
03:20We've sold the company.
03:22So, we started a lot of these things.
03:24We started internet companies then.
03:27There was no internet then.
03:28Yes.
03:28So, we caught all these things right.
03:31But the timing of Shadi.com was right because we kept going.
03:37Right.
03:38So, we had to make our choices.
03:39But brand thinking or market choices have been bang on.
03:50What was the best choice?
03:50One decision which you made was best.
03:55I think to buy the brand Shadi.com.
03:58Yeah.
03:58And to stick with it.
04:04I think that was one big decision.
04:06And I'll tell you why it works.
04:08Because I've had my relative who was finding their potential partners on a couple of these sites.
04:15Right.
04:16And his mom says, do Shadi.com.
04:19So, he says, I've been on Shadi.com for a long time.
04:22So, he's like, Shadi.com exists.
04:24Do Shadi.com.
04:26And it works out best.
04:28Because she can't pronounce other names.
04:29Correct.
04:30She can pronounce Shadi.
04:32And that worked.
04:33And we used it very well in marketing as well.
04:36We worked very hard.
04:37It's not happened accidentally.
04:38We used it very delicately.
04:42We did the marketing well.
04:43And the other thing is more than marketing.
04:45See, we are obsessed with user success.
04:47Yeah.
04:48So, all our thinking is around the user.
04:50We are not perfect.
04:51Even today, a lot of people will be unhappy with our products.
04:54But you know, there are 60 lakh people in the world who have found their life partner on Shadi.com.
04:59Wow.
04:59So, that word of mouth.
05:01That means, you know, immediately.
05:03They go and tell 10 people.
05:04Yeah.
05:05So, that would have been amazing.
05:06And the people who get married recently, their mission is to get everyone married.
05:10To get everyone married.
05:11Because we are in the well.
05:12What will we do alone?
05:14Take everyone and jump.