Personalised cupids

ON WEB

The smoke from a nearby handcart selling peanuts provides the perfect setting as a boy’s glance fixes on a girl standing across the road. Such Yash Raj Films romance is something that every you­n­g­ster craves for, the minute he/she attains puberty (or ev­en before the stipulated time)!

In our so-called modern society, youngsters often find their soulmate before their parents ‘hook them up’ and if they don’t then of course there are those ‘distant relatives’ who are summoned to do the needful.

But times they-are-a -changing thanks to the internet which reigns supreme. The changing trends have ushered in an era that is witnessing a mushrooming of matrimonial websites. But while the ‘business’ of fixing marriages is flourishing not everyone is happy with their increasing prosperity.

Notably, those who are waiting to be ‘fixed’ willy-nilly by the elders in the family. Many youngst­ers, especially in the metros, who are nearing the ‘mariageable age’ view these websites with suspicion, as they would a pesky, intrusive aunt who drops in every now and then with a bunch of photographs and push them as ‘ideal matches’!

Parents too are not as tech un-savvy as they would have their progeny believe! Proactive in matters of marriage, they take the initiative to
upload their children’s profile to find a good match. But this ultimately leads to “Pressurising the youngster for they just see the family and the boy’s income and find him suitable,” rues 28-year old Pooja who co­uld have undergone a similar ordeal had she heeded her friend’s advice and registered on a website that offers ‘personalised matchmaking’.

A number of such websites have sprouted in a short span of time, trying to fill in the vacuum between the parents’ aspirations and the youngsters’ desires. These websites assign personal relationship managers to each individual (mostly young professionals) to understand what they are looking for in their partners. They then suggest selected profiles and a meeting or two follows.

MatchMeCupid.com, SirfCoffee.com, iBlueBottle.com, TwolyMadlyDeeply.com are few names that are gaining po­­pularity. In fact, their names itself imply their ‘being different’ in the sense that youngs­t­e­rs do not set out to find a bride/groom but an individual who is compatible and could be their future partner.   

“About a year ago, my parents started off with the ‘need to find someone’ and got into the process. I am open to the traditional means but more co­­mfortable with personalised matchmaking since it strikes out the possibility of being influenced by my parents. To ta­l­­k to a relationship manager is much better than attending
c­r­­­eepy calls from hundreds w­h­o log into the usual matrimony website,” says Pooja who is into healthcare advertising.

Even 28-year old content writer Raina is of the same opinion since, “There is no pr­e­sence of parents, siblings or any relative in the whole pro­c­ess of personalised matchma­k­ing. Also, before I meet som­eone, I have most of the  infor- mation about them and need not worry about meeting an old, bald uncle due to an old photograph uploaded on the website or waste time in clearing bulk mails from all sorts
of people.”

Incase you haven’t found your Mr/Ms Right, you don’t have to consider it as your bad luck. Help is at hand and these websites will play cupid in your life.

“Our services are extremely personalised and the members interact with a human being and not a computer to find the right person,” informs Mandeep Kaur from MatchMeCupid.com. She adds that the website ensures that the professionals who register themselves with the website earn a minimum required income.

These personalised matchmakers charge much more than other websites ie, a Rs 3000 for a month. But that’s loose change for the raring-to-go young professionals, “Considering the big packages that we earn today,” says Raina who is yet to find
someone, while Pooja is already in talks with her prospective soulmate.