Pune man creates viral 'arranged marriage' Excel sheet to track matches: 'Did it for my parents'

Originally from Haryana, Vikas and his family have been living in Pune for about a decade and over the last few months, his parents have been egging him to get married. (Right) His 'tracker' Excel sheet. (Image credit: Moneycontrol)

A 28-year-old from Pune, who has been looking for a bride after his parents suggested an arranged marriage, has gone viral for his unique way of keeping track of prospective matches — by creating an Excel spreadsheet. The document lists all the interested women by their first names, call details, and their feedback.

"I did it for my parents," Vikas, a procurement analyst for a metal company, told Moneycontrol. Originally from Haryana, Vikas and his family have been living in Pune for about a decade and over the last few months, his parents have been egging him to get married.

"It has been about five months since I have been on the market, and every time my parents send me the contact details of a woman they want me to talk to, by evening, they demand updates. So I created this spreadsheet so that they can keep track of the developments."

The idea, however, went viral after Vikas shared a video on it on Instagram. It received more than seven lakh views and over 800 comments, with several users lauding his idea. Some users even suggested a few improvements after having followed a similar method to find their own life partners.

In the video, Vikas points out how he listed 10 candidates based on their interactions and even gave them statuses such as "open", "closed", "on hold", and "talking". One of the candidates was highlighted as being on the "final stage" as their families had begun to speak with each other — a detail that netizens did not miss.

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A post shared by Vikas (@thevikkchapter)

When asked if the viral reel has improved his prospects in the marriage market, Vikas laughed and said, "Maybe... Now, I have women DMing me."

Speaking about the reaction from friends and family, he said that while his parents are happy with the development, many of his friends, who are also looking forward to getting an arranged marriage, have adopted his tracker.

And what about the women mentioned in the spreadsheet. How did they respond to the viral reel?

Vikas laughed again before replying: "They said, 'Congratulations!'"

Social media users divided: Some offer suggestions, others question method

Although Vikas's Excel sheet has been efficient in keeping his parents updated, some users offered tips to improve the tracking method.

"Important: Please create a new column of Registration number (for unique identification ) to tackle future possibilities of duplicate names. Already, most of your names are very generic," recommended one Instagram user. A few others suggested creating a dynamic dashboard. Another user commented, "You can create a pivot to find your matrimonial viability quotient."

There were, however, some who questioned whether talking to multiple women at the same time is an efficient way to find a life partner.

"How is this different from dating multiple people at the same time," asked a user on Instagram. "I get it that you don't want to spend too much time with 1 person to decide. But 2-3 meets at max should be enough for a vibe check."

"Never understood how a person can talk to 10 people at the same time," added another. "No wonder the arranged marriage setup doesn't work for me."