Who is ‘Kalyanamalai’ Mohan? Tamil Nadu’s OG matchmaker has been playing Cupid for over 25 years

Recently when TV Mohan was heading towards the transit gate at Doha International Airport, a couple stopped him. The young mother with a child in her lap and a smile on her face bent down to seek Mohan’s blessings.

“do you remember us?” she asked pointing towards her husband. “We got married because of you. And this… is our child.”

Mohan smiled, clearly impressed. Such encounters are almost routine for him – at airports, cultural events and wedding halls.

Long before Sima Aunty and today’s algorithm-driven matchmakers entered popular culture, there was ‘Kalyanamalai’ Mohan. The original Tamil matchmaker, his rise in the matrimonial field coincided with the spread of television. Since 2000, his presence has continued KalyanamalaiSun TV’s long-running matchmaking show has brought her widespread recognition. In over 1,200 episodes, Mohan has interacted with potential union seekers, and has established himself as a bridge between prospective brides and grooms. Today after 26 years in this field, Kalyanamalai Has facilitated more than 6.5 lakh marriages.

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Mohan, who hails from Thiruvarur district, remembers the marital customs of the 1980s well. “I remember the time when the practice was organized in many homes in villages all over Tamil Nadu Ponnu Pakara The ritual, where the groom’s family will visit the prospective bride’s home. Later they will say, ‘Kadidasu Podarom‘ (We will write our decision to you). If it came in the form of a postcard, the postman would often deliver it after reading its contents in advance,” recalls Mohan sarcastically.

Those were the years when decisions were largely driven by parents and relatives. “Gradually, as education and employment opportunities opened up for both men and women, families began to realize that relatives were no longer at the center of the decision-making process,” he says. It was around this change that the idea emerged. Kalyanamalai took shape. “Marital Section The Hindu was extremely popular – sometimes running more than four pages. Every Sunday, parents would buy a copy and go through the list carefully.”

He wondered what would happen if the same exercises could be shown on television. Ultimately that question gave rise to Kalyanamalai As a concept.

‘Kalyanamalai’ Mohan, match maker. Photo Credit: Johan Satyadas

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Despite spending more than 25 years in this field and seeing vast technological changes, Kalyanamalai And Mohan has tolerated it. So according to him, what is the secret of this longevity? “Although we are adapting to changing attitudes towards marriage, we are still proud to have invented Correct Individual for each search. Some platforms bombard people with multiple profiles, but we understand the need first without any judgment, and then suggest some names. In some cases, we just recommended one person, and then the marriage happened,” he says.

Mohan believes that the abundance of choices has become a major hindrance in today’s matchmaking process. For them, occasions like Valentine’s Day are less about grand gestures and more about decisions that last a lifetime. “Young people these days swipe through profiles as if they were shopping for sarees or vegetables. Marriage cannot be decided that way; it is linked to the rest of your life. Anyone seeking an alliance must also accept that not every expectation will be met. I believe that a few meetings are enough to make a decision – moreover, people start focusing on what they don’t want, rather than what they expect.”

Now 74, Mohan is seeing a remarkable change in his attitude towards marriage. “Parents these days are often hesitant to raise this topic with their children. Many people ask me, ‘How do I approach my son or daughter about this?’ Parents find this concern worrying. “They ultimately want their children to live a peaceful life.”

He recalls a long discussion on this with late former President APJ Abdul Kalam, a conversation he considers one of the most meaningful conversations of his life. “Do you know what he said to me?” Mohan says. “He said that we are not just matching a boy and a girl, but setting future generations in motion for every family. Those words still ring in my ears.”