Marry me please, I’m (almost) compatible

Marry me please, please, please, please.....is what most matrimonial ads are actually trying to convey, but how each ad conveys the same is what decides if the person gets married or not. Additionally, unlike their print counterparts, the online matrimonial space allows prospective bride and bridegrooms to share more information on their personality and outlook to life-a good thing since people are now looking at individual compatibility very very closely.

CMD of Shaadi.com, Anupam Mittal says, "A decade back matrimonial ads typically sounded like most wanted ads which were looking for fair, slim, beautiful girls etc. However, in the recent past there is more emphasis on compatibility. We are seeing people writing paragraphs about the kind of personality they have and about what kind of a partner they seek. They want some one who is much more compatible. So this is a huge shift from what use to happen earlier."

Shaadi.com is one of the leading matrimonial portals founded in 1997 and Anupam suggests that business has grown over 200% each year since inception.

"Shaadi.com fixes around 1,000 weddings a month. In a country like India, the opportunities of meeting a potential life partner are so few but the pressure is so high, so it is a fantastic situation," suggests Anupam.

CEO at BharatMatrimony.com, another major matrimony service provider, Murugavel Janakiraman says, "Everyone has their own set of expectations from the prospective partner. People want to know family background, hobbies and other personal details. The Internet as a medium is limitless and a lot can be shared here. We see caste still playing a major role in marriages. So that essentially has not changed. While technology has changed, there isn't a major shift in the thinking. But we do address this and have our service in various regional languages apart from English."

BharatMatrimony.com claims to have over 9 million members registered through its 15 regional portals like HindiMatrimony.com and TamilMatrimony.com.

Online players like BharatMatrimony.com and Shaadi.com are attempting to revolutionize the otherwise unstructured and fragmented estimated $10 billion matrimonial industry in India.

But don't expect technology to help make your marriage work or last a lifetime-that is still left to the individuals. Being a bachelor himself, Mittal suggests that while several matches are made at Shaadi.com, they do not know how many work out over time.

"Whether or not these matches work only time will tell. It also depends on the definition of 'work.' I would like to clarify that while the net has emerged as another way to meet people, it is definitely not the only way. Also, how you meet someone is not the determinant of success of the marriage. A lot depends on the personality of the couple, their thinking and how they make it work together," concludes Anupam.

"Iam kanandevi. I do owo businas. one sistar. he was marred,"- as long as your online ad doesn't read like this, you're in (matrimonial) business.

By Sakshi Sharma and Kishore Butani