There was a time when parents of a prospective couple met each other, matched horoscopes, considered family status, wealth and compatibility and then fixed a marital alliance between the families. But times have changed, the joint family has dissipated, no caste, geographical, gender nor religious barriers exist, and men and women are free to choose their life mates. Especially in the metros and world wide, Indian youth are choosing to adopt the practice of dating.
Hundreds of Indian dating agencies have sprung up worldwide. They are mainly of three kinds- Matrimonial service agencies, Online dating services and Speed dating services.
Matrimonial agencies are run by match making professionals who maintain a large social network and help to find a soul mate. A large dating agency in India can afford to send direct mail or radio messages. This dating agency in other words is called library dating as customers can view videos and profiles of members. This service may cost several hundred dollars per year as membership fee. However this service suffers from two problems. It may have inadequate membership size and a prohibitively high cost of membership.
Online dating services are burgeoning worldwide and are expected to surge ahead in the future. There are hundreds of Online indian dating agencies like Shaadi.com, jeevansathi.com, Bharat Matrimony.com. They have adapted the Western matrimonial format to suit the Indian traditions. Foe example there are several local sub sections of one dating agency for each ethnic group. So Bharat Matrimony has optionas like Kerala Matrimony, Hindi Matrimony, Tamil Matrimony etc.
Also there are questions in the matrimonial that are really Indian in outlook. For example, what is the person's complexion, whether he or she is a Manglik, do horoscopes or star
Signs match etc. are major items. The dating agency in India is growing in popularity.
The disadvantage with Online dating agencies in India is that the physical appearance of the member cannot be judged properly as in a direct meeting. A photograph maybe a second alternative but many people are not technically savvy enough to upload their picture or maybe too savvy and may touch up their pictures.
The other danger with using an online dating agency in India is that the members may be dishonest. It is really difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. Members can exaggerate and appear more attractive and popular.
A dating agency in India may also charge quite substantial fees that may deter some to use the service. Some sites do not allow detailed profiling of members, which would have been useful for a better understanding between the couple.
Then the size of membership in some sites is not adequate limiting choice. Some sites may falsely report size when actually only a few members maybe active users of the site. Membership retention is difficult in most online dating agency in India. Advertising companies often disturb the privacy of members in an arrangement with sites.
Speed dating is a modern concept of dating just catching up in Indian dating agencies. Here men and women meet in five minute personal encounters in a rotational session and choose a date. This is arranged by local Indian Dating agencies.