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The great Indian wedding drama: Bengaluru girl's rebellious matrimonial website goes viral
READ MORE Indhuja Pillai
For Indhuja, the website was the final step in convincing her parents about her decision about marriage. (Image courtesy: Twitter)
BENGALURU: Soon after engineer Indhuja Pillai turned 23, her parents started looking for a groom for her. Tamilian, single child, 5 feet 4 inches, eggitarian, earning - the profile was posted on a matrimonial site. A story similar to many South Indian middle class families. Till Indhuja saw it.
"It was so not me. I'm startup material, and hate multinationals. I work as a catalyst for a startup called Tripigator. I was annoyed the way the site made me look like some woman desperate to get married," Indhuja recalled.
So she created a matrimonial website for herself - marry.indhuja.com. It was a tongue-in-cheek response, a satirical dig at society and a challenge at the establishment. Little did she expect it to go viral. But it did.
Her website reads:
More info- I'm not a drinker and I hate smoking. An eggitarian, not a foodie. I play badminton, sing and dance. I wear glasses and look dorky in them. Not a spendthrift or a shopaholic. Detest masala & drama, not a TV fan. I don't read. Friendly but I don't prefer friendship. NOT a womanly woman. Definitely not marriage material. Won't grow long hair, ever. I come with a life-long guarantee and I commit for life.
Looking for: A man, preferably bearded, who is passionate about seeing the world. Someone who earns for himself and does NOT hate his job. Must be flexible with his parents, also means, it's better if he is NOT a family guy. Extra points to the one who hates kids. Points for a great voice and an impressive personality. Should be able to hold a conversation for atleast 30 minutes.
Over a few days, the site had over 2 lakh page views and over 11,000 likes. People shared it and commented. Some called her 'silly' and 'immature' but most enjoyed her creativity.
"Not many people would visit my blog. So, I didn't expect many readers for this site. Rather, I expected a lot of criticism. But, the response was overwhelming. The number of people who connected with it was huge. Not many women have supported me all these years. But suddenly I found them encouraging me to fight," she said.
It's a larger social issue that IP, as she likes to be called, addressed. "I'm only 23. I'm not ready for marriage yet; I've just started exploring the world. I need more time to think about my life. In India, we believe a girl doesn't get a groom if she's over 30. Who sets these timelines?" she said.
She added, "There were a lot of comments from people in North India but few from Southern metros like Chennai. Even when they read media reports about the site, many relatives preferred to keep quiet about it," Indhuja said.
"Some comments tell me that my story has given the writers the courage to fight back," she said, adding, "My parents were aghast when they heard about the site. But when they realized the language was sober and what I've written is true, they were fine with it. Now, my mother goes gaga about it."
For Indhuja, the website was the final step in convincing her parents about her decision about marriage. "Looks like it has worked out," she pointed out.
"It was so not me. I'm startup material, and hate multinationals. I work as a catalyst for a startup called Tripigator. I was annoyed the way the site made me look like some woman desperate to get married," Indhuja recalled.
So she created a matrimonial website for herself - marry.indhuja.com. It was a tongue-in-cheek response, a satirical dig at society and a challenge at the establishment. Little did she expect it to go viral. But it did.
Her website reads:
More info- I'm not a drinker and I hate smoking. An eggitarian, not a foodie. I play badminton, sing and dance. I wear glasses and look dorky in them. Not a spendthrift or a shopaholic. Detest masala & drama, not a TV fan. I don't read. Friendly but I don't prefer friendship. NOT a womanly woman. Definitely not marriage material. Won't grow long hair, ever. I come with a life-long guarantee and I commit for life.
Looking for: A man, preferably bearded, who is passionate about seeing the world. Someone who earns for himself and does NOT hate his job. Must be flexible with his parents, also means, it's better if he is NOT a family guy. Extra points to the one who hates kids. Points for a great voice and an impressive personality. Should be able to hold a conversation for atleast 30 minutes.
Over a few days, the site had over 2 lakh page views and over 11,000 likes. People shared it and commented. Some called her 'silly' and 'immature' but most enjoyed her creativity.
"Not many people would visit my blog. So, I didn't expect many readers for this site. Rather, I expected a lot of criticism. But, the response was overwhelming. The number of people who connected with it was huge. Not many women have supported me all these years. But suddenly I found them encouraging me to fight," she said.
It's a larger social issue that IP, as she likes to be called, addressed. "I'm only 23. I'm not ready for marriage yet; I've just started exploring the world. I need more time to think about my life. In India, we believe a girl doesn't get a groom if she's over 30. Who sets these timelines?" she said.
She added, "There were a lot of comments from people in North India but few from Southern metros like Chennai. Even when they read media reports about the site, many relatives preferred to keep quiet about it," Indhuja said.
"Some comments tell me that my story has given the writers the courage to fight back," she said, adding, "My parents were aghast when they heard about the site. But when they realized the language was sober and what I've written is true, they were fine with it. Now, my mother goes gaga about it."
For Indhuja, the website was the final step in convincing her parents about her decision about marriage. "Looks like it has worked out," she pointed out.
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