KOZHIKODE: For thousands of unmarried men and women in Keralam, finding a life partner has become a long and exhausting search, with years of waiting, unsuccessful marriage proposals, and mounting disappointment. For some, the search has continued well past the conventional age of marriage, while for their parents, every new proposal brings another round of hope and uncertainty.
The scale of this unspoken struggle came into sharp focus on Sunday when nearly 7,000 people converged at Harahara Mahadeva Temple, Karanthur in Kozhikode, for a free pre-marital registration camp, turning what was expected to be a modest social initiative into an overwhelming response.
The extraordinary turnout, nearly five times the organisers’ initial estimate, has also brought attention to the growing difficulties faced by unmarried people, particularly men from rural areas, in finding suitable partners. Figures emerging from the camp were striking: nearly 80% of those who registered were men, most of them above 30, with several applicants in their 40s and 50s.
Temple authorities had initially expected around 1,000 applicants and printed 1,500 forms. However, the forms were exhausted within hours, forcing them to arrange photocopies before procuring another 4,000 forms from a printing press. The queue stretched beyond the temple premises and extended across two bus stops along the national highway.
The camp’s announcement had been circulated via WhatsApp and Facebook groups barely two weeks before the event. What began as a local initiative soon travelled across district boundaries, drawing applicants from Kannur, Wayanad, Palakkad and other parts of the state.
Some had travelled through the night, while a few reportedly arrived in Kozhikode a day earlier to ensure they did not miss the opportunity. Parents, too, joined the queue, hoping to find suitable partners for their sons and daughters.
The camp, scheduled to begin at 9am, had to commence registration at 7am itself in view of the early rush. By the time Kunnamangalam panchayat president C V Sanjith arrived to inaugurate the programme, the temple premises was crowded.
The initiative, originally scheduled to conclude by 1pm, continued well into the evening.
For the Kozhikode Hindu Samajam, which has been closely associated with the initiative, the response is not merely a reflection of the popularity of a free matrimonial platform but points to a deeper social concern. “We need to create awareness among young people about the importance of marriage and the challenges faced by those who are unable to find suitable partners,” Samajam executive committee member Raghavan C said.
Temple authorities plan to consolidate the applications into a database and prepare a list that can be shared with registered applicants. The process is expected to take between 10 and 20 days. Organisers hope to begin responding to applicants from December 1. They are also considering holding similar registration camps every Sunday from 7am to 10am, after November 22.