When 24-year old Indhuja Pillai, an engineer in a Bangalore startup, created a webpage detailing the kind of man she was looking to wed — a cheeky repudiation of a dreary matrimonial ad placed by her parents — she was not expecting to be inundated. But in the three short weeks since her rebellious “matrimonial CV” went live, it has gone viral on social networks, gathering 230,000+ pageviews and landing Pillai dozens of marriage proposals, including from foreigners like Lukas Rosenstock who asked on Twitter, “Are non-Indians eligible to apply to marry you?”
She Narrates on her Blog:
marry.indhuja.com now has over 1.78 lakh views and 10k+ likes. The site went crazy on Friday the 13th. Trust me I’m not lying. The website had/has genuine information about me and yes I’m a real person and I exist, in Bangalore. I was ready for some criticism but it turned out to be just too much love and support.
The website was meant to shut my parents down, and to make their work simpler by passing just this link, rather than passing my bio and the ‘goodness forsaken’ horoscope.
The story-
It all started when my parents put my profile up on *insert goddamn matrimony site name here*. Details were- Name: Indhuja, Profession: Software Engineer. I went like, “WTF is happening here”, soon after that. Ask me why.
Because, I am no goddamn software engineer and I’m only 23! I am no ordinary (read:mainstream) woman desperate to get married, and that retarded matrimony profile made me look like one. I work in a start-up, Tripigator, and I love start-ups as much as I hate MNCs.
I took the profile down as soon as I could, first thing in the morning. The same evening was when this idea of creating a funky matrimony profile website creeped in. I even told my parents I was going to do it, and I was quite certain they were scared as hell about what it would look like. I created the website on the same night (on Blogger, as I always do). They couldn’t help it, because they knew I was crazy and also that nothing can stop me. They said were scared and skeptical before seeing the website. Later, they actually thought it made sense.
I told them, “Send this to anyone who has the nerve to ask my hand in marriage.”
The aftermath-
12th went fine, 13th was crazy. Views hiked, so did the likes and comments. Views on my blog and website did too. It was evident that people liked this. Facebook messages and the FB inbox was flooded with love messages. Someone even said that the site was spreading via Whatsapp. I couldn’t help but write back / comment to all those who liked it. I really appreciate those who can really appreciate. End of the few days I had just too many hats (lol), and had earned the awe and respect of just too many people.
Someone requested to copy the website. Must say, she is enjoying quite the limelight now. Someone blogged about it, with me as an anonymous woman. Someone created a website, saying how similar we were. Someone made this. A few genuinely interested men did write to me via Facebook. I would’ve loved to take it forward, if only I were really looking. We’re now friends on Facebook though.
FYI, it was a crazy 3 day wave (12, 13 and 14) and the page currently has around 3k visits per day.
Translation-
Appa- Dad,
Enna work aacha- Working now?
Ponnu indha maathiri venum- Need a girl like this
Poda goyya- WTF.
While conversing, someone even tested me if I had really understood the Interstellar movie, when I said I loved it too. Can’t blame him, because I neither have met any woman who said she liked the movie, nor did many actually “get it”. Funny, but solved the purpose. He now knows that I actually “get it”.
What all this actually meant?
For starters, people like genuine guts. They respect confident and free women, in the right way.
Many women could relate to the plight of their parents pestering them to get married. And men, without a choice, could only dream of marrying someone like the woman in the profile, me. A few (man & woman) even wrote that this is the first time they are even writing to a stranger on Facebook. Some asked me not to get married, that I was only 23.
Mention-ably, some wrote to me asking how I am crystal clear about myself and what I want. I’d like to answer this briefly, for now- I have been a loner for quite sometime now, and I’m used to being alone; at the movies, at the restaurants and on the road on my moped, roaming the streets. Having spent too much time with myself, it’s only natural that I know so much about myself. I don’t know how to be in touch, nor do I meet with random people to make friends. Not a phone person (phone balance of 250 INR remains for over 45 days), or someone who texts/chats. I’m sure you get the idea.
People liked the survive/live quote, specifically. All I could make out was that they weren’t free enough to “live” their life their way.
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