Mumbai: If you had to think of Kalyani Khona in images brought up from pop culture, she most definitely would not be the gossipy old matchmaker from Fiddler on the Roof. She’d be closer to Alicia Silverstone from the TV series Miss Match — young, pretty, professional, a matchmaker who brings lonely hearts together. But Kalyani differs from the Miss Match character in one important way — the matches and alliances she helps make are between differently-abled individuals.
While the matrimonial quest for normal couples has evolved by leaps and bounds in India — from being brokered by inquisitive relatives to being handled by the couple-to-be themselves — the same can’t be said for the differently-abled. It was this realisation that led young entrepreneur Kalyani to set up an urban matchmaking agency.
Kalyani had chanced upon meeting Prabha Panse, who had set up a similar service for the differently-abled back in the 1980s. Prabha’s initiative encouraged Kalyani to address what she felt was a need gap for the differently-abled. Then, an experience with an offline matrimonial agency further cemented her resolve to start a portal of her own.
Having sought help from this agency to create a profile for a differently-abled individual, Kalyani was stymied by the way the executive stumbled through the process, finally giving up with the excuse that “these requests do not generate much revenue”. Kalyani knew then that she would have to forge her own way forward. “A change in our thinking can trigger a domino effect for the better. Their needs are just as important as ours. Why should we deprive them of what they want?” she asks.
Kalyani’s agency Wanted Umbrella was officially launched this month in Mumbai, and is open to all differently-abled individuals above the age of 25. Why the age barrier? “From what I’ve observed, people who have crossed the quarter-century mark are looking to settle down. A 26-year-old may say she wants to meet someone who has an interest in, say, reading; while a 22 year-old may say she wants a man who is 6’ 1”. Age plays a major role in sorting one’s priorities. Of course, if more people are willing, I’ll happily change the mandate,” Kalyani says. With her Mumbai plans in place, Kalyani is looking to extend Wanted Umbrella’s presence in Bengaluru and Delhi next.
The former vice-president at AIESEC Mumbai is now in talks with NGOs and business enterprises that employ the differently-abled. With an aide in major cities like Delhi and Bengaluru, it would help her organise more events, and broaden her network. “The candidates who I have spoken to or met have already used matrimonial portals and haven’t been successful in their quest. Hence, when they come to me, I want to make sure that I do my best not to disappoint them,” she says.
Kalyani is also looking into another obstacle they face: The lack of social and recreational spaces, and that will be on her agenda next — creating more space for these individuals to unwind. “Most people that I’ve been touch with told me that they either garden or browse through Facebook on Sundays. That’s as social as they can get. I believe, we are to be blamed for it. While business enterprises are increasingly employing the differently-abled, we (unknowingly) dictate their personal lives,” Kalyani says, and adds, “Who are we to deprive them of a good life?”
HOW IT WORKS
The registration for this service includes a meeting and documentation, only after which is membership granted. The annual membership fee starts from Rs 3,000. “We have the employment and Pan Card details, hence there is no way to create a fake profile,” Kalyani says. After membership is granted, an offline profile is created and later exchanged with the interested candidates. If the interest is mutual, a meeting is set up. Kalyani is also looking at conducting a “table for six” event once Wanted Umbrella widens its scope.
