THRISSUR: Gone are the days when people approach the local broker or bureau to find their life partner. N N Unnikrishnan, 33, a native of Vallachira, wants to find his partner on his own, without any mediators. So he put up a signboard in front of his shop which read, 'Looking for a life partner. Caste or religion not an issue'. When a friend uploaded a picture of the signboard online, it went viral and Unnikrishnan even received calls from Australia and England.
Not touched by all the discussions on social media around the post, Unnikrishnan is busy at his street side shop at Vallachira sorting out the marriage alliances he received. "I used to be a daily wage worker. I also underwent surgery following a tumour in my skull. As I recovered fully after the surgery, I thought of settling in life. This led me to open a lottery shop near my home in February. After some days, I set up a tea shack, which too is getting better these days. Now, all I want is a life partner, but I don't want to go through the traditional style of approaching a broker, waiting to get matching horoscope etc. My friends and family members had already searched on my behalf, but no match happened. Thus, I thought of hanging a signboard in front of my tea shack," shares Unni.
It was Unni's friend Saji Edapilly who clicked the photo of the signboard along with Unni and wrote about it on Facebook. An elated Unni said, "I got phone calls from Malayalis living in far off countries." Other than proposals, some even called Unnikrishnan to wish him a bright future. Many appreciated him for not submitting to the rules of caste and religion while searching for a partner. Interestingly, one person even called Unnikrishnan and scolded him for having taken to social media to find a life partner.
"Nowadays, I am not getting time for answering calls with so many people calling," he said. Unnikrishnan also received calls from people who wanted him to share their personal details so that they can find a partner. "I already told such callers that it wouldn't be fair to share people's personal details online," he said.
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