BENGALURU: Celebrity matchmaker Sima Taparia, who shot to fame with Netflix special Indian Matchmaking, brought to focus the age-old Indian concept. The buzz around the show, which was loved by some and hated by others, continues with its Emmy nomination. While the show missed an award, it still remains a talking point among millennials.
According to Shalini Singh, co-founder of andwemet, the pandemic has changed the way things work in the world of matchmaking. “Now, casual dating seems to have taken a backseat, especially for those in their late 20s. There’s definitely an increase in mindful dating now. Boys and girls don’t linger and prolong conversations, but come straight to the point of where they want to see their relationship go,” says Singh. ‘I don’t want to live with parents’, ‘I don’t want children’, ‘I don’t want to relocate’. Questions such as these are direct to make the ‘filtration’ process easy. “On our website, we have a quick Q&A format that allows people to find their potential partners. The questions vary, and this helps narrow down the search for a potential match,” says Singh.
Old-school is the way forward, believes offline matchmaker Sharmistha Tampi. She, along with her friends from across the country, help family, friends, and friends of friends, find potential matches. “There’s been a large shift in the way parents are approaching marriage ever since Covid struck. With the pandemic having brought up issues of loneliness, there’s more push from parents of children living alone to settle down. And despite the pandemic, many are ok with the idea of travelling to meet the person,” Tampi says.
With slow dating now the buzz word, it’s no surprise that neither party is in a hurry to make the final decision. “Honestly, there are a lot of factors youngsters consider these days. In case of inter-religious marriages, the idea of moving abroad is still strong. Couples feel they will be happier there even though families here have accepted them,” says matchmaking entrepreneur Nandini Chakraborty.
HYBRID MEET
Merging the online and offline world of matchmaking, singles’ relationship coach Radhika Mohta is putting together an event in October, with business partner Arjun, where a small group of singles can meet, interact and, hopefully, find their potential partners. “It’s going to be an online meet for a few weeks before they meet in person. They can interact, get to know each other and find a good vibe before meeting in person. We’ll give them ice-breakers and fun activities to get to know each other,” Mohta explains.