A marriage meet with a difference
150 attend get-together held for hearing impaired to find life partners
NEW DELHI: They were present at the venue, dressed in their best, and hope in their eyes. The occasion demanded so because the next chance to look for a life partner would come only next year.
Seeing them exchange views, use the sign language, and their eager relatives taking the help of interpreters to communicate, there were smiles on the faces of the organisers.
With nearly 150 aspirants and their relatives attending, the swayamvar, a get-together for hearing impaired youngsters looking for their life partners was a success, said Gunjan Sinha of shaadi.com who had organised the event in collaboration with the Delhi Foundation of Deaf Women (DFDW).
Out of 70 participants, at least 12 such couples got married after being introduced to each other in last years swayamvar (marriage meeting). This year, the number of participants have crossed 150, says Sinha.
Monika and Vivek, a happily married couple with a son, met each other at one such event about one and a half years ago.
Earlier, my parents had to face difficulties in finding a match for me because of my disability. But now I am happy and enjoying my life after marriage, says Monika in sign language with the help of an interpretor.
This time, Monika has come with her younger sister who also has the same disability.
As parents in rural areas face more difficulties in finding a match for their children with disabilities, the number of participants has been on the rise every time such events are organised.
Though all the participants last year were from Delhi and its surrounding areas, this year, the aspirants came from far off places like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Jharkhand, Sinha said.
The events has benefitted even for those who have overcome their disabilities with their strong will power.
For my family, its very hard to find a suitable match for me. Even though I have been running my own beauty parlour, I am sometimes worried about my future. Such events gives us hope and also boost our confidence, said 24-year old Puja Garg, who came from Haryana with her parents.
Similarly, Niharika, a computer professional, is also waiting for her soulmate who must be working, good looking, honest, loving and from a respected family.
Now, after attending this function, I can hope to find a handsome guy for me too, Niharika shared with the interpretor.
Looking at the overwhelming response from the applicants, Shaadi.com is planning to organise such events in other parts of the country as well.
Twelve couples got married after being introduced to each other at last years swayamvar