Among the few things that will survive the next 100 years into 2101 is a subtle and unrecognised art form. Matchmaking. Yes, it is an art. A difficult one at that. It requires talent, a certain magical touch, shall we say? And like any other art, it demands constant practice. The more you are at it, the better you become. Mr Matchmaker has been alive and kicking hard for quite a few centuries. He continues to do so, though in this age of the Internet he seems to have taken an electronic avatar: There is, I am told, The Rediff matchmaker, Indian Matrimonial, and so on. I can't personally vouch for any of these, haven't really checked them out, you see. But I certainly can tell you about their human counterparts. Earlier I had considered such individuals interfering busybodies, who use any trick in the book and then some to brainwash people into marrying each other. My perception has now undergone a change... since I tried my hand at it! I am proud to say I have authored three marriages in the last two years. Yes, six people are living together, happily I am sure, thanks to my, well, interference. I got into it accidentally. On a social visit, I heard from my friend Mary that she had a prospective bridegroom on hand. Her nephew Roy was in Goa for a week and wanted to meet "a simple, homely girl." Would I look out for someone? A picture of my cousin Diana came to my mind immediately. Let me speak to her, thought I. That was how I dropped in at their place on my way back. Things weren't going well when I entered my aunt's house. The proposal she was considering for Diana wasn't coming through. I called my aunt out and told her about Roy. She was distracted, but said yes, she would think about it -- but didn't I think he was a bit too old for Diana? As I was in a hurry, I told her to think it over. The next day she called me -- no harm in checking it out, she said. A meeting was arranged. When we left, both parties were noncommittal. That evening, the boy rang me to say he was taken up with the girl. Would I accompany him when he asked her father for "her hand". And they were married within a year. The same year my mother's cousin, Percy, a wealthy, witty, good-looking widower, casually 'wondered' if I could find him a match. He mentioned in passing that he had met my friend and colleague Sara at a party. And she too mentioned meeting an intelligent, humorous gentleman. He made her laugh, she said. Initially, Percy had thought himself perfectly capable of proceeding with the proposal. But the girls in Goa are reserved. They are bashful and suspicious of unfamiliar males. Percy couldn't make much headway and that was why he approached me. Incidentally, his brother too wanted me to find him a match, but I didn't bother as he refused to reveal his age! Anyway, I answered Percy's SOS and took Sara out for a heart-to-heart talk. I placed the proposal before her and together we weighed the pros and cons. She was nervous. I told her not to feel pressured. When we met again she was still undecided. Percy said he had to meet her and finalise things one way or the other. They met at my place. I stayed in my room for as long as I felt it needed. After two hours, I felt I had to interrupt -- and what do you think I stumbled on? An almost perfectly planned wedding! They had decided on tentative dates, the reception hall, the works! The wedding was to take place two months later. Sara went on leave as soon as she could. "Too much to do, you see," she told me. "Shopping, planning the menu, tailoring, invitations..." My timid, soft-spoken friend had changed into a confident, perfectly organised romantic. Need I say I was thrilled! The third match required a bit of strategy and took the longest to materialise. I met Ancy in the course of my work. She confided she had two daughters and was looking out for a "good boy" for her eldest. Did she have a photograph of the child, I enquired. Of course, she said, she would bring it to me. When I saw the picture, whoosh, a flash exploded in my head. She was perfect for my friend Mary's -- yes, Roy's aunt -- son! I told Ancy about this handsome, young, ambitious, career-oriented seaman. Craig, I endorsed, was a warm, affectionate, family-minded child, with no vices. When I approached Mary, she quipped, "Please look out for a boy for my daughter first." In any case, Craig was away at sea and Celia, Ancy's daughter, was in Bombay. Months later when Craig returned, he wasn't much interested in the proposal. He agreed to "see the girl", I think just to please his mother and me. He didn't want to go to her house. And she didn't want to come over. Somehow Ancy convinced her daughter to come. Celia's attitude was rebellious. She dressed drably. Craig too hadn't taken any pains. When they were introduced, they hardly spoke. I was disappointed. An hour or so after I returned home, Craig phoned. "Aunty, I want to meet Celia again," he said. "I didn't ask her so many things." I rang Ancy. Could we arrange another meeting? Craig would come over this time. Celia wasn't at all keen, but agreed after a great deal of persuasion. So once again they met. We elders left them alone after a refreshing drink. Their conversation, from what we could gather, took a long time to take off. But once it did, it gained vibrancy and momentum. We gave them 45 minutes. Then 10 more. Another 20 minutes passed. Mary still didn't have the heart to break in. "I think they are getting along fine," she kept saying. "I am sure it will work out." It was getting quite dark when we returned to the room. "How's the weather?" I asked. "Fine," they smiled. Their courtship lasted a year. By then Craig's sister too had met her Prince Charming, so there was a double engagement. Their wedding was superb in every sense of the word. I was thrilled when the bridegroom thanked me in his speech for bringing them together. Since then two others have approached me for help. But somehow I have lost interest in matchmaking. Maybe it is because I was too effective. I mean, how many matchmakers can boast a 100 per cent success rate? Caroline D'Souza is currently busy with her daughter's wedding plans. Illustration: Dominic Xavier ALSO SEE Matchmaker, matchmaker... Love at first site Tell us what you think of this diary
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