On the occasion of the 75th Independence Day, BharatMatrimony launched a social experiment to highlight the issue that majority of Indian women did not have the right to choose a life partner. With this campaign, BharatMatrimony intends to trigger conversations on the larger issue of women not being empowered with choice when it comes to education, career and marriage.
This week, mall goers at one of the largest malls in India were surprised to see three fully dressed up brides walk into the mall and take the stage, amidst wedding music and a colourful mandap backdrop. This intrigued the audience who stopped shopping and stood to watch the spectacle unfold.
As the three young brides stood silently, one covered her eyes, another her mouth and the third the eyes for minutes, as curious onlookers wondered what was happening. And as the large LED screen behind them came alive with a message, realisation dawned on them that they were depicting the plight of nearly 3 out of 4 Indian women, who don’t get to see, talk or hear about their life partners, before marriage (as per IHDS Survey).
The audience reaction ranged from shock, frustration to anger that no one was doing anything about it. Many women and men, young and old, openly talked about the vexatious issue.
Talking about the social experiment, Arjun Bhatia, Chief Marketing Officer – Matrimony.com explained why brand BharatMatrimony was taking this issue head on, “Despite 75 years of Independence, a majority of Indian women have almost no right in choosing their husband. We wanted to turn the spotlight on the social bias against women as we felt true Independence means our women must have the right to choose. For years, we have championed the cause of women’s issues and are a brand that empowers women when it comes to crucial decisions in life. This social experiment was in continuation of our narrative and I am glad it made people sit-up and note this bias against women which simply goes unnoticed.”
