Match-Making Perfection

by Maureen

In the endless search for the ultimate online dating site (tough job, huh?), we came dangerously close to perfection with BharatMatrimony.com. The Financial Times profiled the site this week, offering a favorable review—and we couldn’t agree more. Now, this is a niche site, dedicated to Indian match-matching (sorry, rest of the world), but it should serve as a model for other dating sites. (And brick-and-mortars: The company has more than 100 walk-in centers for those who aren’t so computer-savvy.) Back in 2001, founder Murugavel Janakiraman was told the Internet start-up didn’t have a chance, but he proved them wrong. Here, the top five reasons why BharatMatrimony.com rocks:

5. In traditional Indian match-making, astrological horoscopes play a part in the pairing. The site offers the same old-school service with a new-tech twist, called AstroMatch, offering a user a list of others whose horoscopes are compatible with hers.

4. The site has sub-web sites for speakers of eight different Indian languages. Plus English. Impressive.

3. A third party verifies that prospective dates have the jobs, homes, and diplomas they claim in their profiles.

2. The site provides counseling services (via phone or email) to “help save marriages.”

1. Founder Janakiraman has the right attitude: “Internet start-ups, like marriages, require their share of work.”

With so much time, energy, and thought poured into this site, marriage as an institution has fighting chance. (Take a moment to browse “Success Stories.”) We can only hope that something like this comes Stateside soon. Nice work, BharatMatrimony.com!