This mother-daughter duo is running a matrimony platform for defence community

Raveena name changed an NRI raised in a fauji household had to go through a divorce shortly after marriage Her mother wanted her to remarrymdashbut to someone who was marrying for the first time Even today many deem this as a challenging goal because of the stigma associated with broken relationships in IndiaBut Raveena found companionship which soon turned into a successful marriage In an era of dating apps and plenty of matrimonial sites this connection happened on a oneofakind platform designed specifically for defence wards called Defence Wards MatrimonyThe websitersquos first success story came from Mumbai despite the fact that they are located over 1600 kilometres away in Panchkula The women who spearheaded this effort Parveen Brar and her daughter Keerat Brar Jawandha havenrsquot looked back since its inception in 2014From left Keerat Brar Jawandha and her mother Parveen BrarCall it passion fascination or a way of life less ordinarymdashthe obsession with the military lifestyle is real And itrsquos not just the men and women in uniform who work hard to lead a life that demands sacrifice and is full of adventure even civilians want to experience it And for those who have seen their loved ones serving and have travelled with them across the country itrsquos also the nostalgia of services life that binds them togetherThe venture began on a personal level when Parveen began seeking matches for her three daughters within the armed forces community where all three are now married According to Keerat whose father is a retired Brigadier ldquoThe initiative has grown from a personal need to a panIndia platform and now we are planning to take it international connecting thousands of defence personnel and their families around the world In fact we already have many people from Australia and Canada using the platformrdquoAs an army family the Brars had experienced the unique lifestyle that comes with being part of the armed forces ldquoWe always travelled a lot across the country As a fauji wife my mother had seen a certain lifestyle that she liked And those brought up in this lifestyle tend to relate well to others with similar backgroundsrdquo explains KeeratWhile looking for potential matches like many military families the Brars also faced challenges such as being distant from their native place Driven by this Parveen conceived the idea of creating a website to assist military parents which led to the establishment of defencewardsmatrimonycomSoon after the platform gained momentum users from across the country sought a major change ldquoPeople wanted us to open the platform to people currently serving in the military toordquo says Keerat ldquoand so we expanded our scoperdquo Currently the website boasts over 10000 registered profiles of officers and their wards and they recently launched an application too which is available on both iOS and Android storesWhen asked how their website is different from a regular matrimony website Keerat explains ldquoWe put a lot of emphasis on the quality of profiles They are wellcurated and we do not entertain fakes This check is done by our team and is overseen by my mother and me If there is a red flag we take it up ourselvesrdquoThe platform ensures that users find matches that align with their expectations ldquoGood family backgrounds are what we look forrdquo Keerat says The website features separate categories for officers and other ranks recognising that their backgrounds may differ socially and economically This categorisation helps avoid confusion about what users are seeking she explainsThe primary target group for Defence Wards Matrimony is individuals aged between 25 and 35Reflecting on the need for such a platform Keerat highlights factors that set military families apart ldquoArmy culture is more openminded Caste and creed are not given importance in the military as they are in civilian life Hence intercaste marriages are common here as these distinctions tend to be overlooked within the military ethosrdquo she says