BENGALURU: A matrimonial meet advertisement, which was published on an English daily, went viral yesterday for all the wrong reasons.
The ad which invited ‘young achievers’ looking for a partner from ‘ultra rich families’ and ‘beautiful girls’ (a phrase highlighted in bold) has taken the city by surprise, and provoked many Bengalureans to react with anger.
Speaking to N Sreeram, the event organiser, he told City Express that there was a mistake in the advertisement that was published and they are aware that several women are upset over the use of the word "beautiful".
"Several girls have objected to that word and we will give out an apology, to have upset so many people," he says. Sreeram adds that the event may even be called off.
This isn't the first matrimonial meet that he has organised. Last month, on July 1, a doctor's matrimonial meet was held at another hotel here in the city. Over 350 people had attended, and Sreeram points out that they were "happy" when they left the venue. The latter is not sure how many would attend this time.
How it works
After giving a call to the number given in the ad, the applicant's profile must be sent via WhatsApp. Sreeram will then give a call informing if the person can be a 'direct' participant or an 'indirect' one. The registration for direct participants costs more than Rs 10,000, and interested parties can meet prospective partners face-to-face accompanied by two other family members.
Through 'indirect registration', which costs Rs 5000, interested can have their profiles displayed at the event. Matching profiles will be sent via mail/courier.
‘Horrendous, ridiculous’
Arundhati Ghosh, excutive director of India Foundation for the Arts (IFA), calls the ad "ridiculous, in one word". She says that despite living in a cosmopolitan city, the requirements mentioned in the ad – such as caste, religion, height, weight and a fair skin tone - are worrying. "We think that they don't exist anymore but just a casual look at matrimonial sites will give us a clear insight into what's happening," she says. Prakash Belawadi, actor, filmmaker and journalist, says these kind of events resemble an "equity market" where buyers and sellers meet.
"This is just unbelievable," he says. Seema Ahuja, VP and global head of communication for Biocon, also calls the ad "horrendous".
Elite queue up
According to a report by Matrimony.com, Karnataka is among the top five cities where elite people are open to partners from different communities. The new EliteMatrimony, a 'premium' service of the site launched for the 'elite', has a user base that is 31% female and 69% male, in less than a month. Members include graduates from top institutes such as IIT, IIM, ISB, XLRI, and ITS.