MySoniKudi.com offers made-to-order brides; here's what it's really about
The match-making website was set up by the ZEE TV to spark a conversation about the tendency of the society to accept a woman as ‘marriageable’ only if she has a certain type of qualities.
Tweeple were outraging on Tuesday over a rather misogynistic match-making website - mysonikudi.com which promises “made-to-order brides”. Actor Gul Panag led campaign against the website with #ChangeHerNot.
The sheer absurdity of the website that categorised brides into 20 varieties like : Agyakaari, Bachat Focussed, NRI Ready and Gharelu made some wonder if the website was for real. The makers of the website noted “We know how difficult it is to choose the perfect bride for your home! We know how a right decision can mean a lifetime of joy and happiness, while a single error can mean a lifetime of woe and sadness. And finding the right one in today’s scenario, rife with creeping western culture, is not just difficult but next to impossible.”
It was clarified late Tuesday that the website was set up by the ZEE TV to spark a conversation about the tendency of the society to accept a woman as ‘marriageable’ only if she has a certain type of qualities. "Our objective was to nudge the audience to question these age old shackles, and drive home the point, albeit in a non-preachy manner. We wanted to appeal to the viewer’s reason, and not just feeling, and stir them out of their comfort zone to think about what’s really wrong with the way marriages often happen in India," said Deepak Rajadhyaksha, Deputy Business Head, Zee TV, speaking about the campaign.
#ChangeHerNot was trending on Tuesday and many people denounced the website and demanded that the website should be pulled down. Panag received numerous responses on Twitter from people who were aghast at the website and what it stood for. Rajadhyaksha said that Panag fit the bill for the association because, "to be the mouthpiece of this campaign, we needed a strong woman figure who lives life on her own terms."
Even as many identified the flaws of this website, ZEE TV said that the website attracted thousands of registrations within hours of the campaign going live. Rajadhyaksha said it was sadly true that many men did register on the website. The website was built by Zee TV's digital agency, Big Trunk.
While the website is still up and running, it will not continue to exist in its current form, said Rajadhyaksha. "It will serve as a forum for people to come and experience the starkness of this harsh social reality and express their views," he added.
The sheer absurdity of the website that categorised brides into 20 varieties like : Agyakaari, Bachat Focussed, NRI Ready and Gharelu made some wonder if the website was for real. The makers of the website noted “We know how difficult it is to choose the perfect bride for your home! We know how a right decision can mean a lifetime of joy and happiness, while a single error can mean a lifetime of woe and sadness. And finding the right one in today’s scenario, rife with creeping western culture, is not just difficult but next to impossible.”
It was clarified late Tuesday that the website was set up by the ZEE TV to spark a conversation about the tendency of the society to accept a woman as ‘marriageable’ only if she has a certain type of qualities. "Our objective was to nudge the audience to question these age old shackles, and drive home the point, albeit in a non-preachy manner. We wanted to appeal to the viewer’s reason, and not just feeling, and stir them out of their comfort zone to think about what’s really wrong with the way marriages often happen in India," said Deepak Rajadhyaksha, Deputy Business Head, Zee TV, speaking about the campaign.
#ChangeHerNot was trending on Tuesday and many people denounced the website and demanded that the website should be pulled down. Panag received numerous responses on Twitter from people who were aghast at the website and what it stood for. Rajadhyaksha said that Panag fit the bill for the association because, "to be the mouthpiece of this campaign, we needed a strong woman figure who lives life on her own terms."
Even as many identified the flaws of this website, ZEE TV said that the website attracted thousands of registrations within hours of the campaign going live. Rajadhyaksha said it was sadly true that many men did register on the website. The website was built by Zee TV's digital agency, Big Trunk.
While the website is still up and running, it will not continue to exist in its current form, said Rajadhyaksha. "It will serve as a forum for people to come and experience the starkness of this harsh social reality and express their views," he added.
The ZEE TV twitter handle’s banner image suggests that the #ChangeHerNot campaign is related to the channel’s upcoming new show - Kaleeren - which premiers on February 5. Rajadhyaksha chose not to comment on how Zee TV plans to further develop this campaign. He simply said: "Stay tuned."
Here’s a sneak-peak to what the website looks like:
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