Traditional match-making methods back in vogue 

Nellore: It was more than a bumpy ride for Srikanth, a techie; his married life, which was supposed to be blissful, crumbled before his eyes in less than six months. He says, he is preparing for separation and adds that his life changed, when family members of bride contacted him trough a matrimonial site. The girl, who married him, says she is not ready to settle into family life and wants to pursue higher studies.

Though the matrimonial sites were successful replacements for traditional match-making, many complain that they lack the human touch and of late that is leading to many a problem. Minimal human interaction coupled with less information about either party are often leading to cancelled engagements, much worse separations.

In an incident that happened recently, a family from Nellore approached a Hyderabad-based groom through a matrimonial site, which has very little details about the boy. The families met and even got the engagement date fixed. However, the groom informed that he would get engaged after 2.5 year and the engagement was cancelled.

People often complain that even though people registering in the matrimonial websites have to provide details like date of birth, birth star, gothram, educational background, family background et, some people deliberately leave many columns blank. They are also miffed that despite the columns are blank the websites are accepting the applications. Moreover, many are complaining that the sites are charging a bomb and the users have to pay a huge subscription fee for a limited time.

Commenting on the troubles of match-making via matrimonial site, P Subrahmanyam, a retired employee said, “These sites do not provide the requirements of bride/groom. There are no details about future plans and other related things. As the contact is that of parents and close relatives, it is only after much of talks do happen and an engagement date is fixed bride and groom do talk. More often than not the personalities don’t match, which leads to cancelling engagement.”

With more and more such cases, people going for traditional match-making methods. They are considering matches only within their close circle of relatives, and friends. This they say provides clear information, one-to-one contact and avoid disturbance in finalising the proposals.

“We had a bad experience, when we tried to find a bride, trough matrimonial site. Later, we found a suitable match through contacts from our friends circle. We are happy with old and traditional way of finalising marriages where one can negotiate things amicably,” said D Krishnaveni of Pragathinagar area.

Speaking to The Hans India, Dr Sai Krishna Teja said that he has dealt with 12 separation cases in the past year. “If a couple is not compatible with one another, it is better they separate else the married life would be troublesome. In traditional match-making, there is a possibility where the third man, who made the match along with the parents of the both parties sit together and try to reconcile the differences.”

By PV Prasad