Date of Broadcast = October 12, 2000
TITLE= CYBER MATCHMAKING
BYLINE=LINDA CASHDAN
DATELINE=WASHINGTON

VOICED AT: Voice of America Washington DC

INTRO:   Asian-American entrepreneurs have transformed an ancient social tradition into a very modern business.  Linda Cashdan reports hundreds of internet matrimonial web sites have sprung up to facilitate South Asians' matchmaking.

TEXT:  They have names like - matrimonials-dot-com - and - suitable-match-dot-com.  For a fee, they invite South Asians to post their own pictures and resumes and then plow through data bases of other people's pictures and resumes.

For many South Asians the web sites offer a compromise between arranged traditional and modern "love" marriages where couples meet by chance.

Rajiv Giri, who was born in the United States to parents from India, says he saw the need three-years ago.

           /// GIRI ACT ///

I have a lot of South Asian friends who have been having problems finding people in the U-S and so I thought with the web getting as big as it was, that was something people would be interested in.

In March of 1999 Mr. Giri launched - Indian marriages-dot-com.

/// GIRI ACT ///

We have over 21-thousand members right now. The majority of our customers are in the U-S and India, about 43-percent are in India and 39-percent are in the states. We have an area for parents, but it is really not that popular.  I would say 93-percent of our users are there for themselves.

/// END ACT ///

Indeed, just as online stock trading is cutting out the middle man - the stock broker - so online matchmaking is eliminating the traditional marriage brokers - parents - from the process.

Indian immigrant Bharat, whose - www.asianmatches.com - just merged with - www.suitablematch.com - to form the world's largest online matrimonial site, says that places a lot of responsibility on couples.

/// BHARAT ACT ///

This is a technology.  It is a technology which has gone deep into the roots of everybody. At the same time, it is not magic. It is going to still need the due diligence of the members.

/// END ACT ///

Bharat wishes the technology had been around nine-years ago when his own parents went through the arduous process of finding him a suitable mate.

/// BHARAT ACT ///

There was no Internet matchmaking site and it was very painful. It took three-years for us to find each other... a lot of time wasted in newspaper classifieds, letter sending. Six-months were just lost in pure nonsense, which can be done over the internet in six-seconds.

/// END ACT ///

Bharat says immigrant parents in the United States lack the network necessary to arrange a marriage easily. The web sites provide that network.   (SIGNED)

NEB/LC/RAE