Techie grooms back in demand

Considered an unsafe proposition during the global meltdown, IT professionals are now the preferred choice, say matrimonial bureaus

When the global markets crashed a year ago, IT professionals went out of demandu00a0 for girls looking for grooms. In the last two months, however, enquiries for techies and software professional grooms have shot up, according to matrimonial bureaus across the city.

A lot of thought
"Parents of brides-to-be shunned techie professionals because they were considered an unsafe proposition due to the instable job scenario. Families would ask us for other options or think ten times before agreeing to meet them. But since the last two months, they are back in demand," said Manoj Varule of Mangalashtak in Sadashiv Peth.

Rejected
Now families enquire about NRI techies. "In the past year- and-a-half, a lot of techies came back from overseas and lay-offs, suicides and bankruptcy in IT and software industry were abundant. Families didn't want to risk sending their daughters abroad. When matches did take place, visas created problems," said Ravindra Deuskar of Reshim Gathi, Kothrud. "These matches are top priority again," he added.

Shaadi.com used to get more than seven per cent of its national business from IT professionals. The demand for techie grooms is back, but officials still maintain that the golden period hasn't still arrived. "The slowdown had created a few ripples on the matrimonial industry, with demand for IT grooms falling considerably. The demand is slowly reviving, but it is yet to reach the original level. The scene has improved since last year," said Gourav Rakshit, business head, India.

Recession
"During the recession, only grooms who worked in well-known companies were approved," said Komal Tejpal, assistant manager, Jeevansathi Match Point, Camp.

Ashish Kulkarni (29), programmer analyst with a leading IT firm Bangalore, registered with matrimonial bureaus two months ago. Though he hasn't found his bride yet, he believes he is better off than most of his friends who were looking for matches during the recession period. "Our industry was badly hit, and there was lot of apprehension among the families of the bride. Many of my friends faced a tough time, but now that the markets are improving, these things will be taken care of," said Kulkarni.

(Inputs by Nolan Pinto)