Why are Indians obsessed with weddings?

Brut India

The founder of shaadi.com tells you all there is to know about Indians and shaadis.  : Raj Shamani

Transcript

00:00Boys are very shy.

00:01In India, we don't have so much social interaction and dating.

00:05So, a lot of boys are very awkward.

00:10People in India say that India is crazy about IITs and IIMs.

00:14Right?

00:14But India has a bigger obsession.

00:16Their biggest obsession is marriage.

00:18Yes.

00:18Except you, what else do they want you to do?

00:20Why me? What is this to me?

00:23But India's biggest obsession is marriage.

00:25Look, I'll tell you why it's yours.

00:27Look, what's in India...

00:29You'll see the biggest problem.

00:31The biggest problem.

00:32And why did we start solving marriage.com?

00:35Why did we start?

00:36Why did I start marriage.com?

00:38Because in India, our culture is different.

00:44What happens in the West?

00:46Two people meet, chemical reaction.

00:48If it happens, if you fall in love, you get married.

00:52In India, it is not an if question.

00:54It is a when question.

00:55We have stages in life, right?

00:58Cultural, you read it.

01:02All our books will talk about it.

01:04Read about our religion.

01:05The second stage is domestic marriage.

01:07And you can't do domestic marriage alone.

01:10So there are stages in life until you reach the stage of renunciation.

01:13Okay?

01:14So it is a when question.

01:15So it has increased a little these days.

01:18Between 24 and 32, there is a lot of pressure on everyone.

01:22Yeah.

01:23And the problem with girls in India is that they don't get good boys.

01:28The boys are very shy.

01:29We don't have so much social interaction, dating, etc.

01:34So many boys are awkward.

01:35Girls are more open and bold.

01:38And boys pick late.

01:41Their life is made after 35.

01:43Okay?

01:44And girls want to get a successful boy of their age.

01:49So they have trouble.

01:50So if you are 25 years old, you are successful, you make good money.

01:56So why are you depriving them of boys?

01:59What is this?

02:00This podcast is going in the wrong direction.

02:05You have a valid point.

02:06There are stages in India and culture is outside.

02:09But I'll complete this thing.

02:13First of all, India's obsession is marriage.

02:15Right.

02:17Because whether you go to IIT or not, you have to get married.

02:19Every parent has to get their children married.

02:21In fact, in tier 2, tier 3 cities you go, people only earn that they will get their children married one day.

02:26Right?

02:27That's fun.

02:28When you realized that you are married, what is their next obsession?

02:32The biggest obsession is buying a house.

02:33In India, in the US, there is a culture that stay on rent.

02:36It's not buying versus renting.

02:38That's why we started Makan.com.

02:40You guys started Makan.com, right?

02:41And that's why we keep the brand like this.

02:43Shadi.com, Makan.com.

02:45Once you get it in your head, no one else can replace you.

02:49Exactly.

02:50So, Shadi.com, Makan.com.

02:51Then I was reading the third thing that your mother-in-law, daughter-in-law,

02:56everyone starts saying in your house that you should get married and have a child.

03:00And then you started Moj.com.

03:02Moj Mobile.

03:03To make people play games.

03:04So, you caught all three obsessions and your time is like the country.

03:10And that's very smart.

03:11I don't know if that was the reason or not.

03:13But it was smart.

03:15No, it was a reason.

03:16Of course, our timing was a little wrong.

03:18Makan.com now has grown well.

03:20We've sold the company.

03:22So, we started a lot of these things.

03:24We started internet companies then.

03:27There was no internet then.

03:28Yes.

03:28So, we caught all these things right.

03:31But the timing of Shadi.com was right because we kept going.

03:37Right.

03:38So, we had to make our choices.

03:39But brand thinking or market choices have been bang on.

03:50What was the best choice?

03:50One decision which you made was best.

03:55I think to buy the brand Shadi.com.

03:58Yeah.

03:58And to stick with it.

04:04I think that was one big decision.

04:06And I'll tell you why it works.

04:08Because I've had my relative who was finding their potential partners on a couple of these sites.

04:15Right.

04:16And his mom says, do Shadi.com.

04:19So, he says, I've been on Shadi.com for a long time.

04:22So, he's like, Shadi.com exists.

04:24Do Shadi.com.

04:26And it works out best.

04:28Because she can't pronounce other names.

04:29Correct.

04:30She can pronounce Shadi.

04:32And that worked.

04:33And we used it very well in marketing as well.

04:36We worked very hard.

04:37It's not happened accidentally.

04:38We used it very delicately.

04:42We did the marketing well.

04:43And the other thing is more than marketing.

04:45See, we are obsessed with user success.

04:47Yeah.

04:48So, all our thinking is around the user.

04:50We are not perfect.

04:51Even today, a lot of people will be unhappy with our products.

04:54But you know, there are 60 lakh people in the world who have found their life partner on Shadi.com.

04:59Wow.

04:59So, that word of mouth.

05:01That means, you know, immediately.

05:03They go and tell 10 people.

05:04Yeah.

05:05So, that would have been amazing.

05:06And the people who get married recently, their mission is to get everyone married.

05:10To get everyone married.

05:11Because we are in the well.

05:12What will we do alone?

05:14Take everyone and jump.

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