> Site Tours
> Features
> Off the Web
> Dr Know
> Celebrity Surfing
> Web Logs
Movie Pages
> Makdee
> Chalo Ishq Ladaaye
> More...
Specials
> Education
> Travel
> More...
TIPS to search 1
billion Web pages fast!
|
|
![[Suitable Match?]](28lead.gif)
Anita Bora
A friend of mine announced recently that she finally met the man of her dreams. He was not only from another state, but also from a different religion. She had registered with five matrimonial sites to find him.
"I though marriages were made in heaven," I commented.
"Nowadays, they are also made on the Internet," she replied smugly.
***
Why online matrimonial services are proving to be popular
Due to the convenience and flexibility of online matchmaking services, finding someone who meets your (or your parents) requirements is a much simpler process.
Ranjit Sharma, a 30-year-old professional who found his bride through a matrimonial service has been lucky. "I actually found two women that I considered suitable. The Net made it easy because I no longer had to pore through pages and pages of print to find someone fitting. Just a simple search and voila!"
Online portals also offer added services to the wedding bouquet - free consulting, invitations, booking of halls, reminder services, Webcasting and helpful hints and articles that form the icing on the cake. Other features like online chat, database of photographs and compatibility services have given matrimonial sites a greater edge.
Browse through Wedding Sutra to get an idea. In addition to a wedding planner, it has sections on love and life, an online photo album and honeymoon ideas. If you're going to a wedding as a guest, you'll find something for you too!
At Shaadi.com, you can search for your partner based on community, country and religion. Then there is themahurat calendar, introduction to different kinds of marriages, and honeymoon ideas for those who've already found their match. They even offer downloadable freeware -- a wedding planner, things-to-do and a budget planner - all useful tools on your wedding eve.
***
An ancient matchmaking tradition revived
BharatMatrimony, a site claiming to have 2,50,000 registered members with about 20,000 profiles added per month, recently came up with a unique offline initiative to complement its services - a swayamvar.
Inspired by the ancient Indian tradition of a bride choosing her groom from amongst a posse of suitors, it organised a 'Mega Swayamvaram' from 27th to 29th September, 2002 in Chennai.
"We had done a very successful test across Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mumbai in February this year. After that experience, we were certain this event would be a great success - and it was. The idea was to develop formats for easy match making - online and offline - that can be used across markets," Murugavel Janakiraman, CEO, BharatMatrimony.com told Rediff Guide to the Net.
This two day star-studded event was also a platform to make audiences more aware of the use of technology. It was conducted in session based on the castes, according to Janakiraman. A caste no bar session catered to those who did not believe in that system.
Besides that, they also offer services to find suitable partners across communities through their associated portals. "With the increased use of the Net and general awareness, people find it very useful, less time consuming, and trustworthy to find a match online," says Janakiraman.
This matrimonial service is encouraged by its high success rate. "So far a few thousands of prospective brides and grooms have found their match through the portal," states Janakiraman.
But for every Ranjit Sharma who's full of praise for such online opportunities, there is a skeptic. Gauri Sinha, a 31-year-old designer, feels it's below her dignity to use matrimonial services to find a partner. "It's like buying onions and potatoes in the market," she compares. She is even less impressed with the idea of a swayamvar and comments, "I thought we were living in the 21st century."
Still, bharatmatrimony.com is already planning to organise similar events in other parts of the country.
(With additional inputs from Tuhina Misra)
More links
http://www.indianmatches.com/
http://www.matrimonialsindia.com/
http://www.rishtaa.com/
http://www.ejeevansathi.com/
|