Online Personals Watch

India Says "I Do!" To Divorce

THE WIP -- July 20 -- The Indian capital New Delhi has the unenviable distinction of being the country’s divorce citadel with about 9,000 cases annually. Other Indian cities are not far behind. Most are young couples, typically in their late 20s and early 30s. India is a remarkably young country with 70% of its billion plus population under the age of 35. The younger generation is willful, independent and adept at rationalizing their decisions. Remarriage was once unheard of but that’s changing. SecondShaadi.com narrows it down to all those who have been either divorced or widowed, and visitors to the site know at the outset what they are getting into. FULL ARTICLE @ THE WIP

Mark Brooks: Those that are single and never married, tend to prefer to communicate with those that are similar and never married.  This is true in the USA, and more true in India.

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Divorce In India Becomes More Common As Romance Gains Importance

GLOBAL POST -- Apr 23 -- For thousands of years in India, marriages were contracts of servitude that sent a daughter off on a one-way trip to her husband’s family home. Now, though, as women are gaining independence through education and the workforce, a new cultural obsession with romance and personal fulfillment has raised the bar for a happy marriage. India’s once negligible divorce rate is being reported at 6%. Divorce laws are being relaxed, and unfortunately the justice system is being abused as men and women alike are trying to escape from unsatisfying marriages. At least among Internet users, the problem knows no geographical boundaries. About 60 percent of the 50,000 customers who have registered with SecondShaadi.com, an online matchmaking service for divorced Indians that launched a year ago, live outside India's five largest cities; more than a third live outside the 20 largest cities. FULL ARTICLE @ HUFFINGTON POST

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Matrimonial Portals

KNOWLEDGE WHARTON -- Nov 13 -- Anupam Mittla, founder of Shaadi.com and Murugavel Janakiraman, founder and CEO of BharatMatrimony.com say that over the past five years, the online matrimonial market in India, which they estimate to be currently around US$50 million, has grown at a compounded annual growth rate of 50% to 70%. The India Online 2008 Matrimony report identifies Janakiraman and Mittal as market leaders with nearly 70% of the market between them in terms of the user base. The industry has a host of small players, including those with extremely niche positioning like secondshaadi.com (for second marriages), idontwantdowry.com (for those against the practice of dowry), h1bmarriages.com (for non-resident Indians and technical professionals), positivesaathi.com (for HIV-positive people) and so on. FULL ARTICLE @ KNOWLEDGE WHARTON

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Indian Dating For Divorcees

WASHINGTON POST -- Sep 19 -- In India, divorce is slowly becoming a girl's best friend. In a country where marriage is a cornerstone of family life, there has long been a deep social stigma associated with divorce. Arranged marriages are still common. India is a young nation, with 75% of the population under age 35. A new matchmaking Indian Web site called SecondShaadi.com -- shaadi meaning marriage -- is targeting divorcees and widows. FULL ARTICLE @ WASHINGTON POST