A collection of 13 romantic short stories based in India; a culture rich country steeped in tradition. Inspiration struck me from newspaper articles, TV shows and hearing people talk. The short stories are based on that fact that arranged marriages thrive right alongside love matches in India.
1. Groomnapped is Ameya-Surekha’s story as a light romantic take on the serious issue of groom kidnappings.
2. Dark skin on a woman puts off men in general or so says the society. Beauty Is But Skin Deep is Nitin-Simran’s story that proves it wrong!
3. Ritu is twenty-five and wants to wait for her Prince Charming but her parents are desperate to arrange her wedding. Does she find her prince in An Arranged Match?
4. Dating Agencies are doing their best to get young people together to tie the knot. My friend Diti runs an informal one; inspiring the Red Rose Dating Agency.
5. A guy’s complaint about his fiancée of a few years dumping him after becoming successful in her film career felt like a rant to me. Chahti Hoon Tumhe is an ode to the successful actress.
6. Soumya actually lives life like Soul Mates but how many have the guts to? This, incidentally, is the first short story that I ever wrote.
7. Does Madeinheaven.com help bring Menka & Jeetu together with technology driven Matchmaking website?
8. I originally wrote Rahat Mili for an anthology; Rahat means ‘relief’ and is a name too. Read the story with the word in mind and it will fall in place.
9. Reema’s Matchmakers brings Arjun and Prisha together at a get-together through a matchmaking network. But will they get married?
10. Nikita wants Krish for a friend and not her husband. As The Reluctant Bride she manages to have her cake and eat it too.
11. Shweta Ka Swayamvar is inspired by the practice of Swayamwar in ancient India of choosing a husband, from among a list of suitors, by a girl of marriageable age.
12. Pappa’s Girl is about daughters of Industrialists taking over fathers’ businesses.
13. Mythology romances intrigue me; Love Match For Velan is my take on Lord Murugan falling in love with his consort Valli.
My Review
Matches Made in Heaven is a collection of short romantic stories by Sundari Venkataraman. Each of them is unique trying to cover the different ethnics of the continent, yet surprisingly all were speaking the same language of compassion, lust, fondness and friendship when it came to expressing love.
The story that caught my attention was, "Soul Mates" It is the story of today, a tale that every household will be experiencing eventually since we are going global in all aspects. The statement that made me agree in unison with the character, Soumya, "You allow Chinese noodles and Italian pizzas into your kitchen. You grow and adapt your palate to different cuisines. You dress differently and use imported lipsticks and perfumes. You listen to rock music, and you dance western style. These are but physical expressions of globalization. The true spirit of globalization is Universal love."
Loved it!
Although each story had its unique touch, I would have appreciated if the font, spacing in the e-book would have been large and spaced out for better reading.
Love is not just a noun, but when used can become an armor and help man of any color unite. It is a dialect spoken by all living creatures, and it, when embraced, can only give a happily ever after! Thus recommending all to read it.
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