Yeah western style dating is pretty much taboo if not anathema to most parents in the rural areas. Should be fun monetizing that market, their site seems to fit a niche ideally suited for this. I'd love to see how they monetize services when (and if) they are dealing with the semi-urban areas; maybe they can tie up with a mobile service provider to have their services paid for as part of their mobile phone bill.
When you say Urban India is monolithic, are you meaning to say that all urban life is generally similar in India?
If so I would point out that the Metros in India differ significantly. I'm a Mumbai/Bombay native, and have family in Delhi and friends all over the country. From their discussions and lifestyles, each metro is quite unique and even more so, in the context of male-female interactions.
For example Delhi has been described as bastion of MCP behavior universally, especially by the women who live there. It could be a bad sample, but that view contrasts strongly with the better reputation for female safety that Mumbai, and (afaik) Bangalore enjoy. This leads to major differences - I know someone who moved here from Delhi, and wouldn't travel alone post 8:00 pm for a long time. (Delhi people, please correct me if I am wrong, or something is being missed). At the same time, Delhi-ites seem to have a lot more cultural activities going on than Mumbai. Since space is also not at a premium in Delhi, it also has places like Bookstores that are sorely missing in Mumbai.
When you say Urban India is monolithic, are you meaning to say that all urban life is generally similar in India?
If so I would point out that the Metros in India differ significantly. I'm a Mumbai/Bombay native, and have family in Delhi and friends all over the country. From their discussions and lifestyles, each metro is quite unique and even more so, in the context of male-female interactions.
For example Delhi has been described as bastion of MCP behavior universally, especially by the women who live there. It could be a bad sample, but that view contrasts strongly with the better reputation for female safety that Mumbai, and (afaik) Bangalore enjoy. This leads to major differences - I know someone who moved here from Delhi, and wouldn't travel alone post 8:00 pm for a long time. (Delhi people, please correct me if I am wrong, or something is being missed). At the same time, Delhi-ites seem to have a lot more cultural activities going on than Mumbai. Since space is also not at a premium in Delhi, it also has places like Bookstores that are sorely missing in Mumbai.