Garuda International for Arranging Gulf Malayali Marriages

MUSCAT - January 24 A leading Kerala based marriage bureau has opened an outfit here in collaboration with an Omani partner to provide marriage related services to expatriates. The company, which is likely to enter the Guinness book of World Records for conducting the maximum number of arranged marriages in the world, is claimed to be a reliable and trustworthy organization than the ordinary marriage brokers or "mammas" as they are humourously called. Garuda International will facilitate marriage relationship through the intermediation of parents and even conduct expatriate marriages in the Gulf. It has also developed an Internet platform (http://www.garudamatrimonials.com) with a strong database of girls and boys of different age groups, community and location. Marriage is a big business in Kerala due to hefty dowry charged, especially Non Resident Keralites. Marriage related businesses like jewelry, marriage bureaus and marriage venues are booming business, in which even some of the leading business groups are keen to enter. Garuda's local partner is Mohammed Hayat, an Omani businessman.

Garuda International is the largest marriage bureau in Kerala with offices in major district headquarters and some of the metropolitan cities like Banglore, Mumbai and New Delhi where large number of Keralites are either working or settled. Garuda opened an office in Dubai six months back and the latest venture is Muscat, said R.Chandrashekharan, Managing Director, Garuda International. His company is the first professional marriage bureau in the state, which has totally changed the image of marriage brokers in the state. Garuda conducts more than 300 marriages per month. Quoting a United Nations Survey conducted in 40 countries, he said Garuda International has created a record by arranging or conducting maximum number of marriages in the world. Mangalya Sahayi, a Malayalam magazine published by Garuda carries 1,000 matrimonial advertisements in one issue.

"Even though we were based in Kerala, most of the customers are from the Gulf region. We have conducted several marriages of Gulf Keralites," Chandrashekharan said. It may be recalled that the high profile Indian Diaspora Commission, which looked into the problems facing the Non Resident Indian community had highlighted serious problems faced by NRI families like unhappy marriages of their son or daughter based on false advise or information provided by the other party in the alliance. Local "mammas' play a key role in facilitating such dubious alliances. Keralite families in the Gulf find it difficult to identify the right life partner for their son or daughter due to time constraints and lack of contacts back home to verify the tall claims made during marriage proposals. There are instances where even construction workers from the Gulf would go and marry highly qualified doctors and engineers, giving false information. "Now people ask for certificates and other documents to prove the qualification and job details of brides and bridegrooms. We facilitate meeting between the parents, who will countercheck the facts before tying the holy knot", Chandrashekharan added. Garuda is located at Bait Fatima building in the CBD area, Muscat.

Garuda Mangalya Sahayi, India's first marriage bureau in the internet, provides online matrimonial registration for Malayalees around the globe. The institution was founded by Mr.Chandrasekharan who is the Managing Director and was established in the year 1994 January 14, in the day of Makara Sankranthy.