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Reemma Dalal, Co-founder of Mix & Mingle, tells us how and why she started an events series purely to help older singles connect.
Reemma Dalal and Jemma Antia, residents of South Mumbai, love to network but saw the dire need for a platform for singles, especially for people aged 35 and above. They found it hard to meet like-minded people beyond a professional work environment and also wanted to expand their social network.
That’s how they started up Mix and Mingle – as a platform which organizes events, talks, and workshops for different age groups. It is intended for those who are new to the city and are busy in their demanding jobs, or feel shy to meet new people. Through a series of offline events, they help connect eligible singles in a comfortable and friendly setting.
The varied range of age groups (starting from 25 and going to over 50) is they feel, a differentiating factor. Reemma Dalal says, “Most attendees (at other events), we would see on a Friday or Saturday night were in their 20’s; only a small percentage were in their 30’s and older. It is rare to find events for singles who are 35-50 years and 50 years and up, markets that are often overlooked by other matchmaking platforms. ”
In June 2013, Reemma and Jemma organised their first event in Mumbai for the age group 35-50 that turned out to be a huge success. Speaking of overcoming the initial challenges, Reemma says, “A lot of single people still are intimated by the idea of attending a singles event. Some of them find it daunting to be in a room full of strangers. We try to break these barriers by doing a round of introductions at the start of event. We also host ice-breaking activities to get the mingling going and sometimes we try to provide a value add by organizing theme based events like wine tasting or mixology event so the focus is divided between making new connections and learning something new. ”
The satisfaction of connecting people with each other, makes it all worth it. Reemma adds, “A lot of couples have met through our events and are happily married; we are happy that we help bring people together. A lot of people who attend our events on a regular basis are friends and meet for coffee or a movie outside of our events.”
Reemma also explains the amount of work that goes behind their events, right from deciding the venue for the event, to then promoting them. New clients are screened and interviewed to ensure that they join for the right reasons and meet their specified criteria.
The key takeaway for Reemma from starting her own business, is patience and perseverance. She has learnt to be patient and never to give up, even if things go awry. Taking pride in her venture baby, she reveals, “Mix and Mingle is our baby which both Jemmaa and I created together in June 2013. We are proud to see our company growing. We started with one event for the 35-50 age group and then slowly increased it to two events a month. We also started a match making service for members who find it daunting to attend our events.”
Currently operating successfully only in Mumbai, Reemma also plans to expand the business into other major cities like Delhi, Pune and Bangalore.
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A software professional by education, and a stay-at-home mom by choice. You would often find me scouting around on social media , tweeting or posting photos on Instagram when I am not writing for read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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