SecondShaadi October 23, 2007
Posted by Pallav Sharda in : Matrimony , 1 comment so farAnother matrimonial site claiming the “Number 1.” crown in an immodest way. This one may actually be right about it, though. SecondShaadi is a matrimonial portal for people trying their luck for the second time. Since I’ve not yet found another company advertising in this niche, I think the tagline “No. 1 Re-Marriage site for Indians” can be sustained. (Clap Clap Clap)
SecondShaadi was started by Vivek Pahwa and Ankur Warikoo, graduates from the Indian School of Business. The design is above-average for an Indian site- they had my vote as soon as I saw a ‘How it works’ link on the homepage. Basic membership is free, as usual, and they charge premium membership for sending private messages and offer one-on-one counseling. Heck, with divorce rate rising consistently just like inflation, these guys may actually have a shot at a sustainable business model.
PositiveSaathi October 23, 2007
Posted by Pallav Sharda in : Matrimony , add a commentAn interesting twist to the overcrowded group online-matrimonial sites for Indians. PositiveSaathi is a matrimonial portal dedicated to HIV+ people. The site has more than just matrimonial functionality- there are HIV related educational material and information about NGO and government initiatives.
Latest numbers estimate 2.5 million HIV+ people living in India. I think its a great way to connect people with similar profiles, and make a difference in their lives. Much better than Kayastha2Kayastha type attempts, for sure.
IDontWantDowry October 23, 2007
Posted by Pallav Sharda in : Matrimony , 2commentsSocial activism gets technology backing with IDontWantDowry. Its a matrimonial website run by NGKOnline as a forum for wannabe brides and grooms who are against taking/giving dowry.
The site design is below-average, but I’m not going to take it apart. I like the concept- its a far more noble commercial use of internet’s power of connecting people. There is free registration with a paid membership (Rs.500 for 6 months).I couldn’t find what exactly was the benefit of a paid membership, though (again, folks- remember to make a “How it works” page!). Content-wise there are a surprising number of brides and grooms registered, with a heavy influence from southern India.
Kayastha2Kayastha June 28, 2007
Posted by Pallav Sharda in : Matrimony , 4commentsAnother example of how we Indians are quick to utilize any media for niche, indigenous use. Kayastha2Kayastha is yet another specialized matrimonial site. They have several URLs directing to the same site- Kayastha2Kayastha.org, Kayastha2Kayastha.com and Kayastha.in.
Simplistic (borderline ugly), practical interface about finding a Kayastha bride or groom. I stopped caring about castes when the reservation quotas were announced, so had to look up wikipedia for insight into what makes a Kayastha. You can read about it here, it’s pretty detailed (geez).
Just like any other Indian matrimonial portal, they call themselves as “No.1″ Kaystha Matrimonials Portal. I’m sure the competition was tough for that title. I also find it interesting that the ‘Education’ search field has an option of ‘Doesn’t matter’ 
Seems counterintuitive that you’d not care for education in this time and age, but maybe I’m missing the point.. maybe it’s all about finding a Kayastha, nothing else.
Allright, you probably know by now that I’m not a fan of caste-system and elitist matrimonial sites. So I think I’ll stop here and let the hate-comments roll in.
Update: Kayastha.org is another, unrelated site promoting kayastha community. They have thier own matrimonial section, in case someone hasn’t had their fill from above.
Another Update: Ravi pointed out yet another matrimonial site for the Kayastha community- MarryAKayastha. Geez…
Jeevansaathi January 17, 2007
Posted by Pallav Sharda in : Matrimony , add a commentI have no experience with the matrimonial sites, so this review is going to be pretty shallow. Jeevansaathi looks okay, and seems like they have plenty of content (with more than a billion people in the country, that shouldn’t be hard.. 
)
By the way, this site is the third venture of Info Edge (India) Pvt. Ltd., which is growing to be one of the leading web companies in India. I’ve written about their other two ventures here and here.
BrahminsMatrimony January 15, 2007
Posted by Pallav Sharda in : Matrimony , 2commentsAs if it wasn’t enough for us to be segregated by illogical and archaic caste-system in real life, here comes a website promoting it in the virtual world.
BrahminsMatrimony is a ‘portal for brahmins’ aimed at creating an online community and facilitating match-making. The intentions behind the site may be well, but I am irked by it - why do brahmins (or any caste for that matter) need their “own” site? It’s rude and self-promoting in my view.
Whatever. The site has a neat, non-obtrusive interface; much like all other AmTek Systems Inc. (it’s parent company) ventures. The counter on the site reads close to 1200 listings and thier FAQ says its 9.99$ to join for a year (plus a 7-day free trial).
Geez, I can’t write positive about the site anymore. The whole concept is ridiculous. What makes it even more irritating is that there are 1200 caste-system believers out there who would showcase themselves on the site. Goodluck to all of them - I guess they are better off getting married to each other and sparing others from thier non-secular beliefs.
Footnote: I’ve written about the other two AmTek ventures here and here. The online info about AmTek is little, all I could find is that they are based out of Delaware (the startup haven).