Source: Telegraph India
KOLKATA, INDIA, February 24, 2002: Around 300 parents of prospective brides and grooms gathered together at a South Kolkata hotel to arrange marriages for their offspring. With brilliant careers already in place, most seeking a lifetime mate were in the age group 30-35. 100 men and 150 women were presented as candidates for an arranged marriage. During the four-hour program profiles were read and pictures were showed on giant screens. Anindya Sanyal, owner of the marriage consultant firm called Relations that organized the event said, “The objective is to expedite the process of negotiation. The conventional way of advertising through newspapers, drawing up a shortlist of candidates and then meeting them individually not only takes up time but often leads to uncomfortable situations.”