An Arranged Love Story, NYC Edition
They both were walking hand in hand, slowly and naturally, like they had been doing that for years now. She dressed up in a delicate kurta with blue jeans, and he was in a Patagonia vest over office casuals. Nothing about them screamed “newlyweds”, but there was that quiet intimacy in them that made me look twice.
They were here for a meeting at one of the consulting firms upstairs; as they approached my desk, she warmly smiled and asked if there was a cafe nearby. Her husband jokingly added, “One that serves chai, not burn espresso”. We laughed, and I pointed out the place for them around the corner. As they turned around to leave, she said, “It’s our first time here in New York together; we just got married.”
Naturally, I congratulated them and asked how they met.
“Shaadi.com,” she said with a grin. “The most Indian answer ever.”
I was very curious, so they lingered for a bit to chat around. It turns out their marriage was arranged not by some pushy parents but through a matrimonial website back in India. His family is Tamil Brahmin, and hers is Mudaliyar. Both sets of parents were involved, profiles were exchanged, the horoscopes matched, and Zoom calls were held to get to know each other. But the final decision was theirs; they were free to choose each other or go apart.
“We talked every night for a month,” he said. “We’d never met in person, but we knew we clicked. Our families wanted it to work, but they left the yes or no to us.” What struck me the most was not the matter of fact but how much affection they already shared; there was no awkwardness, no stiffness, and no shyness. Just two people genuinely getting to know each other and enjoying company, they were happy to be together, just like how you see two friends mingling and laughing.
When in a city like New York, dating apps can be a battlefield, and people often run away from commitment; their stories, however, feel peaceful and real. Not arranged with any pressure or old-fashioned way, but placed in a way through thoughtful introductions, yet family-backed matchmaking
Before they left, she mentioned that her cousin had also found a husband through mudaliyarkannalam.com, a caste-specific site back in India. “It’s funny,” she said, “how old traditions are just getting digitized.”
As I watched them walk away, waving goodbye to me , I realized that not all love stories begin in coffee shops or on dating apps; apps. Some start with family profiles, caste filters, and little faith in tradition. And it becomes the best decision of their lives if they can make that time and understand one another.