Forty-three-year-old Srikanth Rao's matrimonial profile is descriptive and to the point- right from the kind of person he is to the kind of individual he is looking for as a partner and right down to his height, weight, skin tone and even hair colour.
Srikanth is looking for a same gender partner and recently put his profile on the website of Queerala, a community supporting the LGBT in Kerala.
Hailing from Mysuru, Srikanth works in the field of medical transcription.
"In India, it is difficult to go out and meet someone. Being gay is even more difficult. You don't know who is gay, who you can ask out for a coffee or a date. I am just exploring all possibilities," Rao tells The News Minute.
It is someone he knows on a private group who suggested him to put up his profile on Queerala. And, he took the advice.
He says that while the law makes it difficult for people to come out, what is even more dismal is friends, family and acquaintances of those from the LGBT community not wanting to associate with them.
Srikanth however is open about his sexual orientation, and his friends and family are very accepting of it.
"Am out to my family and friends, who are very comfortable with his sexual orientation. I had a previous relationship for about 8 years while living in Seattle, which ended in 2010. I understands and speak basic Malayalam though I cannot read or write it. I am financially independent, humorous and generally takes an easy path in life. I believe I have perspective of what to take seriously and what not," he writes in his profile.
Another factor which works against those looking for a partner is age. Difficulty in getting a partner is proportionate to the one's age, he feels.
Though Srikanth is aware of people who have come out and were subsequently hurt or blackmailed, he says he is not skeptical about putting his profile out. "I chose Queerala which works with the community (LGBT) to put my profile. Besides, what I did is similar to what Harish Iyer's mother did, but not in a splashy way."
Screenshot/Queerala
What kind of partner does he want? He writes, "I am looking for a single man between the age of 35-50 (this is not written in stone) who is also out and comfortable as a gay man. I would expect my partner to be financially independent. With regard to physical attributes, I really have none – some I am attracted to and some I am not. A sense of humor will be a bonus (makes life so much more fun (but not a requirement, per se)."