‘I do’ it in style!
Her contemporary matrimonial start-up has given Anuradha Vinod Gupta insights into modern day relationships
By : namita gupta
Update: 2015-11-02 23:43 GMT
A lot ensues between the bride and the groom before they say the words “I do” these days. Anuradha Vinod Gupta, founder, Vows For Eternity, an elite, personalised and confidential matchmaking start-up feels the days when a resume, a few photographs and a meeting would suffice the matchmaking process, are passé. She effuses on how the matchmaking landscape has taken a big leap and women and men expect different things from their life partners. She found her passion when she saw her friends looking for their soulmates and turned it into a startup opportunity.
Talking of the pattern she has noticed in Bengaluru, she adds, “You would be surprised to know that Bengaluru has not only IT professionals, but a lot of other professionals and entrepreneurs, investment bankers, CFOs and outside Bengaluru there are many industrialists and some even from Bollywood. The trend that I’ve noticed in Bengaluru is that people are delaying getting married and most members are between the age group of 30-44. Recently, a girl from Bengaluru met a guy from Chicago and both felt it was a perfect match. I also get invited to their weddings and there’s always such a huge sense of gratitude and they’re so overwhelmed. I have an innate ability to connect with people. I meet the prospective couples personally and travel to various parts of India and globally. Most of them include the affluent, Indian NRIs, etc The connect is based on mindsets, value systems and personality fits. At 35, when one is heading a company, there’s so much more he or she wants in a life partner, than just listening to music and travelling. I saw that a lot of successful people didn’t have the time to connect with the right people and it can become an emotional roller coaster ride, if you don’t find the right partner.”
Never one to follow a beaten path, she pursued her MBA in Australia, after schooling in Nainital. The globetrotter moved to London and worked with Arsenal Football Club. “I was in a private plane flying to Dubai and I called my mom and told her I was on a high living a good life, but the first thing she asked me was if I had taken a look at the photograph of a suitable boy she had sent me. For Indian parents, it doesn’t really matter how high you rise in your career, but you have to marry the right guy. Shortly after that I got married to a guy I met through a group of friends in London and moved to New York. That’s where my personal experiences of people and cultures across three continents resulted in what I do. My idea was to bring life-partners together based on mindsets, values and personalities.”
Getting candid on her other passions, Anuradha smiles with a dimple, “I love travelling to distant places that are off the beaten paths. I travelled to the border of Egypt and Libya. I enjoy theatre and sports and also like to spend time with people I care about.”