There is no dearth of marriage bureaus catering to people of various communities, regions, religions and castes but here is one marriage bureau which is specifically meant for farmers to help them find brides.
In what is said to be the first marriage bureau for farmers in India, Kethireddy Anji Reddy, a farmer himself, is offering the unique service to the farming community.
At a time when farming is no longer seen as a profitable profession and those engaged in it are facing increasing odds, Reddy has set up 'Rythu Marriage Bureau' in Telangana's Karimnagar district.
Moved by the plight of farmers who are not accepted as sons-in-law by many in the society, he came up with the innovative idea of a marriage bureau.
"Farmers not only have to struggle at every stage of farming and to get remunerative prices for their produce but also face discrimination when it comes to marriage. Unlike in the past, when families used to take pride in marrying off their daughters with farmers, today nobody wants a farmer as son-in-law," Reddy told IANS.
He believes that the situation turned bad to worse in last one decade due to job opportunities in information technology and other new sectors of economy. "Many families even among the farming community are looking for software professionals or other employees in corporate sector as the bridegrooms," he said.
Reddy said he was shocked to learn that a family that owns three acres of land refused to marry off their daughter to a farmer who had 10 acres of land. He personally knows many farmers who have crossed 40 years but could not find brides.
"I wanted to do my bit to help farmers while continuing farming on may land," said Reddy, who is helped by his wife in running the bureau.
Within 15 days of the launch, it received close to 3,000 enquiries from both the Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. About 1,000 people have registered with 'Rythu Marriage Bureau'.
"We are getting all sorts of enquiries. A family wanted someone employed in some IT company. I told them that we offer services only if someone wants a farmer as son-in-law," he said.
Reddy charges Rs500 as registration fee. He said they were doing this to meet the expenses of running the setup. He, however, said if somebody is unable to pay the amount, he would offer free service. The bureau is not charging anything more from both sides before or after the marriage.
"We only help the interested parties in finding suitable match but it is for them to make the enquiry and take the proposal forward," added Reddy.
