India Woman Lands Dozens of Proposals After Humorous Marriage Ad Goes Viral
— -- Indhuja Pillai may not sound like traditional marriage material, and that's just how she wanted it.
"I wear glasses and look dorky in them," she wrote in an online ad at http://marry.indhuja.com/. "Detest masala & drama, not a TV fan. I don't read. Friendly but I don't prefer friendship. NOT a womanly woman. Definitely not marriage material. Won't grow long hair, ever."
Nevertheless, the ad Pillai placed to protest her parents' much-more-flattering "groom-wanted" ad has received almost half a million views, and even generated marriage proposals, she said. It has resonated far beyond India, where she lives.
"At first, it was for fun and to shun people away," she added. "I'm not actually looking for a relationship. I'm just 24 and I don't think it's the age to be married."
She said she got the proposals despite her description of the type of man she's after.
"Extra points to the one who hates kids," she wrote. "Points for a great voice and an impressive personality. Should be able to hold a conversation for [at least] 30 minutes."
According to Pillai, being married at a young age is considered a cultural norm in India. But after her parents' ad, she'd had enough.
"They posted a profile and it said that I was a software engineer," said Pillai. "I am not a software engineer and it made me look like any other woman who was waiting to get married.
"The basic details in the profile were wrong," she added. "The fact I'm a tomboyish woman wasn’t mentioned and you can't be in a relationship based on lies. It got me angry."
In her own ad, Pillai lists her occupation as "catalyst in a start-up."
Pallai said that she's pleased that her stand against marital pressure has inspired other girls and women who can relate.
"From the responses I received, they say they've gotten the courage to fight back for more time to wait for marriage," she said.
Pillai added that her parents are responding well and are enjoying the attention she's received.
"They wanted to find the perfect guy for me," she said. "They like that the responses are positive."
