Initiating a Matrimony Portal for Socially Aware Individuals !!!

Hi all,

We would like to put forward an idea for starting a "Matrimony Portal" for socially aware individuals, enabling an alternative route for potential seekers who don't want to rely on the traditional mode of arranged marriages but are limited by current avenues(e.g. newspaper classifieds and existing matrimonial portals on the lines of shaadi.com, jeevansathi.com, etc.)

While initially this may seem to be a bizarre idea to propagate, we feel that there is a vital need for having such a platform for individuals who want to break away from traditional norms and people who are looking for partners passionate about social change, whether as volunteers or full timers.

For more details, please go through the FAQs below:

Q) What is the need of setting up such a matchmaking portal when there are already existing avenues?

Ans: In India, a typical arranged marriage comes up with several strings attached based on the lines of caste (and sub-caste) and family status, plagued with evils like dowry(both in subtle and blatant forms) and rampant lavish weddings, predominantly conditioned towards having the guy's side an upper hand in the marriage proceedings (and even post-marriage) and trying furiously to churn out "picture perfect" couples in an effort to ensure that such marriages are "socially acceptable".

For individuals, who want to search partners on their own, the existing avenues provide lesser options of seeking a partner based on their value system, thought process, concern for society, being individually and social responsible, etc. Hence, there is a need for having an alternative avenue.

Q) Who will be the target audience for such a portal?

Ans: This portal would be mainly catering to

• Individuals who are seeking partners who are broadminded enough to look beyond the traditional norms of caste and dowry and have an independent mindset for taking stands on various issues concerning the society
  
• Volunteers who are regularly working for social causes and who want a helping hand of their partners in carrying forward their efforts
  
• Social workers/Full Timers/Activists (present or future) who are seeking socially conscious individuals as their life partners

Q) What will be the benefits of having such a portal?

Such a portal would serve manifold purposes, such as:

• The members of this portal will have to take a pledge for a NO DOWRY wedding
• We would try to encourage a simple wedding as far as possible, thus discouraging the abominable trend of the rampant commercialization of relationships backed by the materialistic and consumerist aspirations in current society
• We are hopeful that such an avenue will lead to more number of inter-caste marriages thus contributing towards addressing the issue of caste barriers in society
• For the individuals who want to volunteer for social causes, it calls for a different lifestyle, including lesser materialistic aspirations and devoting more time for social causes. This requires constantly juggling between work, family and social causes which can become quite challenging after marriage. Finding a like minded partner becomes imperative when one wants to continue the enthusiasm of volunteering work before marriage
• For the individuals who are involved full time in social work or want to move towards being a full timer in future, many of them would be keen to find a partner with similar goals who are passionate about working at grass-roots level and completing each other. Our portal will help them in finding such partners by bringing together people working as full timers/planning to work as full timers
  

Q) How are you planning to spread the word about this initiative?

To make this initiative sustainable and ensuring that it reaches a critical mass, this would need more publicity especially among the potential seekers. For this different mediums would be used including social networking websites, online and print media, word of mouth publicity, friends referrals, etc.

Q) How one can help if one wants to support this cause?

You can volunteer in several ways if you want to support this cause:

• Help in putting a website in place which would help the members to search and browse through the profiles of registered members
  
• You can help in dealing with handling the admin issues related to running such an initiative
  
• Help in spreading a word about this initiative through social networking sites like Facebook, Orkut, etc. along with helping in word to mouth publicity among your friends and relatives.
  
• You can help us in connecting with media outlets, writing blogs/articles about this initiative and propagating the idea through any other publicity mediums

Q) One of my friends would be interested in being a member of such a portal, but what about the privacy concerns?

Ans: This is a valid concern and adequate measures will be taken to ensure that personal contact details will not be revealed unless with the consent of that member. We would be keeping enough checks and balances to ensure that only genuine profiles are part of the member and that there is no potential misuse of personal information.

Q) From when this portal will be functional?

Ans: While we are keen for this initiative to take-off at the earliest, this would be contingent upon the combined efforts of volunteers. The idea being in inception phase, it has to go through several rounds of brainstorming to ensure that various issues are taken care of relating to this portal.

If you see some merit in this initiative and would like to get associated with such an initiative and be part of it then please feel free to mail with your ideas and suggestions to Selva Ganapathy ( aid.selva@gmail.com ) or Nishank ( onlynishank@gmail.com).
Kindly let us know in case of any queries or concerns.

Thanks and regards,
Nishank/Selva
(9910137929/9790951652)

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At first we live, then we co-exist and in the end we are just alive...

On September 11, 2001, I was having lunch when my dad called up and asked me to turn on the television to see the WTC go down. It was then when i saw the word 'terrorism' being defined and portrayed visually. As i kept growing up, i was exposed to international terrorism activities with political motives, accompanied ofcourse, by horrendous killings. But it wasnt until a few months ago, i realised how immature i was being by not acknowledging the same at all levels.

I wonder how scary it would be if we realise from within, how capable we are of perpetuating fear, and how mere vindictiveness can get you on the path of terrorism. My note, does not deal with any sort of international horrendous activites, but those that we come across while we walk out of our doorsteps.

Fight against terror, shall we? Then should you go help your neighbour, who raises up his kids in so much fear, they arent able to face the world? Should you go help that woman, who has been exposed to so much domestic violence and lies on her death bed? Or should you go help that man, whose sons have resorted to unethical means of existence, or go help that mother, whose daughter isnt getting married because she comes from a lower caste? Should you Go help that father, whose hands cut off in a factory incident?

Your mind is a dangerous weapon. The kids raised up in fear MAY face the world if they are determined. That woman COULD have gotten up and fought, if she knew she could do it. That man COULD have done without his sons, if he knew he didnt have to suffer for them. That mother WOULD have got her daughter married off, if she didnt consider herself to be from a lower caste. That father COULD look beyond his loss and live.

Easy said? Yes, easier said it is, because each one of them has been subjected to a form of terror. I cite examples. that were primarily communicated to me. There may be millions more to be cited. In every home of the less fortunate, is a weeping heart, crying for a saviour or a heart of stone, expecting nothing but the worse.

There are phases in life, good ones, bad ones, worse ones, best ones. All of them come in a cycle. For some this cycle stops at a point and refuses to rotate further, until, the word destiny decides to oil the rusted spindle.

Expectations are an indirect means to mockery, a weak heart in this world is subjected to criticism, an asking hand is looked down at, lest we realise the terror within them. Yes, evolution says survival of the fittest, but hey, these people are here. Dont let evolution take care of them.

Whose fault is it anyway? circumstance, people, time? What is to blame. We may verily walk past the victims, slipping in a line 'Thats what destiny had in for you, thats what is life'

If it is true, i would say my title has done justice. When man came to earth, he was alive...he learnt to co-exist and then lived, and now as the process reverts...every human being in the end may just end up being 'alive'.

Some people have an option, some may have to choose. But in the end,we should acknowledge terror, before we are forced to.

Your words can do wonders in people's lives- Inject postivity, Convince prosperity, create hope for peace. Also, Listen to opinions, it may save lives.

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While you walk ahead....look what you left behind.

A normal day in India usually starts with noisy train platforms ,jammed roads and over filled buses coupled with an annoying background music of eerie sounds, as everyone struggles to reach work on time. The kind of picture we see as we move out of our homes depicts everyone's urge to make it to their future. However, a few days ago, whilst India was busy planning its future, a one and a half year old baby girl was being raped by a heartless, pleasure seeking individual, aware that everyone is too busy pushing each other around and trying their best to step ahead of every one who comes in their way!

A ruthless individual, yesterday, got the courage to take a child and fool around with her and the child, just an 18 month old baby, went through the most monsterous activity ANY one could ever face. I understand, how a lot of other things happen in this world that could be termed 'horrendous'.What i dont understand is why, knowing that a horrendous event took place in our vicinity, there wasnt a pause.

Why didnt the noisy train platforms go silent, why didnt the cars on the jammed roads drive themselves behind the rapist, why werent the over filled buses en route to justice. WE, yes me and you, have created a very sad world. I wont even go into the much serious issues that have successfully been able to create unbearable misery.

But i wonder, am i just supposed to hear about this and feel sorry..I heard this for a reason.

An individual can make a difference but the rate at which the evil in human mind plots and plays is much much higher than the exisitng 'difference creating' momentum.

I am not sure how i would describe myself to stand against it. But i believe, there must have been some way in which that innocence in the baby girl could have been preserved. There must be a limit to all evil.

While you sit with all the gadgets and branded clothes around you, a moment of thought on social issues exisiting around us, would be the first drop in the ocean of a difference, YOU could make.

This incident is so overwhelming, i am really not able to express what i feel in words..However, It did make me pause, it truly did.

The root lies in strengthening every existing system. I am going to play my role, i want you to play yours. There are ways- Lets figure them out.

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