Once in a while, life sends you someone so dynamic that you simply cannot ignore their presence. It’s the kind of person who refuses to go quietly into the night—that’s the kind of person my granny is!

Regina Gilon’s life is as happening as a teenager’s, with WhatsApp forwards, Gmail updates, social meets and so on. Thanks to her experiments with social media, this 82 year-old has assumed the role of matchmaker—we believe she loves this job more than her stint at the Pondicherry Education Department.

So, whether in Australia or Ariyankuppam, she will find the one for you. You just need to give her a call, send in your details and photos via WhatsApp or Gmail, and she will spend the next few weeks or months hunting down your elusive partner-to-be. When she finds a match, she does a basic background check on the families, arranges a meeting, puts in a small prayer and leaves the rest to God. In fact, I’ve seen my granny do everything required of a modern-day matchmaker—from a thorough background check and family calls to coaxing watchmen for information, she can put Sherlock Holmes to shame with her discreet spade work. And she doesn’t charge a penny.

So, why do it anyway? “This is my way of giving back to society,” she says. “Some people pray, some people do charity and I like to help people find their life partners. There’s just so much joy when I know I have helped someone with the most important decision of their life. I have been doing this for over 25 years, and am grateful that none of the couples I have matched have divorced to date.”

Based in Chennai, my granny caters mostly to the Catholic community. And most of her ‘projects’ are referred by happy clients. She does have one condition: No dowry. If she finds someone haggling for dowry, she walks out.

It all began after my grandfather—her husband—died in a road accident in 1994. Granny’s health took a downward turn; she was bedridden and in severe pain. Her sisters took it upon themselves to revive the Iron Lady and got her hooked to TV serials, prayer groups and anything that would revive her spirit. Then, that fateful phone call came. A gentleman was desperately looking for a groom for his middle-aged daughter. And, just like that, my 60-year-old grandmum came back to life. She grabbed her handbag, dabbed on some powder and went off to church to make some inquiries. And soon enough, the happy father came to her with a wedding invitation!

A close family friend, Florence Abraham, reminisces fondly, “When my family was looking for a groom, Regina Aunty asked me if I would be interested in marrying Raja [now her husband]. Even though he was a relative, I hadn’t thought of marrying him till that moment. Regina Aunty made me see why Raja was ideal for me. We have been happily married for more than 25 years.”

All these years later, it is time to find a match for their daughter, Gabriella. And who better to rope in than, yes, granny. “For Regina Aunty, it’s more than a job; she makes sure the couple is made for each other and helps the families understand each other better,” says Florence. “Even if we have hundreds of matrimonial websites, nobody can beat Regina Aunty at match-fixing!”

They say the best matches are made in heaven but the matches made by my grandmother come a close second!

—Catherine Gilon, Chennai

Photo: Balasubramanian N
Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
February 2018