WDMC!?! Why is this news?!?!
MATCHMAKER
Newsday
By Andre Bagoo Tuesday, February 8 2011
HE MAY be the Cabinet’s chief adviser on law, but Attorney General Anand Ramlogan is also apparently used to advising on the topic of love.
On his profile page on Facebook, the social networking website, Ramlogan on Saturday issued a call for single Muslim men who believe they have what it takes to meet a close female friend.
“Looking for a decent Muslim boy for a decent, university educated, beautiful, Muslim girl (25),” Ramlogan, who is married, wrote as his profile status late Saturday evening. “Inbox me if you’re serious and ready to settle down!”
His Cupid-like activities came mere days before Valentine’s Day.
Facebook users throughout the country immediately went aflutter. Some questioned whether the Attorney General was involved in an arranged marriage and posted a series of comments in response to his open call.
One woman from Maraval wrote, “The decent, university-educated, beautiful Muslim girl, has she endorsed this idea? Has she said, by her own and sole discretion, that she is seeking a mate?”
Referring to the popular dating website eharmony.com, another woman, a Trinidadian resident in Florida, wrote: “I see you have your own eharmony.com. Can we call this Anand love line.com?”
A man of Sangre Grande commented, “Instead of looking for the ‘Lookhanee’ wuk, find a way to deal with Hart, Pena, Patos...etc.”
A lookhanee is a figure who, in Hindu tradition, normally intervenes during the courtship of couples.
Ramlogan responded by explaining why he was making his matchmaking call. “I am very serious! Doing well folks and yes it’s at her request. Just wanted to try something different I guess.”
“I have introduced five friends to their wives and they are quite happy,” Ramlogan revealed. He noted the proliferation of internet dating sites.
“Dating sites are flourishing and matching couples all over the world because the way we interface and interact is changing,” he said. “It is a challenge to meet Mr or Mrs Right for many.”
“The young lady in question is close to me and is fed up of jokers and guys whose thinking is one generation behind. This is not an arranged marriage but a genuine attempt to introduce my friend to someone nice and let them take it from there,” he said.
The Attorney General’s heartfelt appeal surprised many who are more accustomed to his talk of the State’s dogged pursuit of ex-Udecott chairman Calder Hart. Ramlogan’s comments may also raise eyebrows among members of the PNM, a party whose former leader Patrick Manning once famously billed its national policy as “a love thing”.
With regard to the practice of arranged marriage, the Attorney General said there are “many good arguments in both directions.” He noted that the dating scene today is different from what it used to be years ago. In particular, he said men and women are now looking for different things in a partner.
“Boys of today aren’t really being prepared for the girls of tomorrow,” he wrote. “Their concept of manhood is limited and skewed. There is a huge gap between what girls are looking for and what guys want/expect. Some men are looking for a girl in the mould of their mother whilst their sisters are looking for a guy that is different from their father.”
“I have written a paper on this subject, for those who may be interested,” the Attorney General added.
Ramlogan continued, “Far too many educated, intelligent, independent, classy and sexy girls have asked me to introduce them to decent guys who are serious about a relationship. They have had no luck on their own and are fed up and frustrated. Some have even resigned themselves to a single life but it is not by choice. Others have chosen to do so and some of them are happy. Many pretend to be happy by default.”
“Arranged marriages is another issue altogether and there are many good arguments in both directions. For now, I content myself in connecting people that are of similar minds and maturity in the hope that they can develop a friendship that may or may not lead to something lasting,” Ramlogan said.
As of yesterday afternoon there were 70 comments posted beneath Ramlogan’s entry, which has since been browsed by thousands of visitors to his Facebook profile since Saturday. Nineteen people also clicked a tab indicating that they “liked” the comment.
Ramlogan, 38, is married to Nalini Ramlogan and is a father of two children: Shweta, six, and Aneil, four. Nalini, like her husband, also has a Facebook account. However she did not comment on Facebook on her husband’s matchmaking activity.
Like many politicians who have embraced the internet, the Attorney General has often expressed some of his views on the social networking site, where he has 4,659 “Friends”.
But sometimes, the firebrand Attorney General – who got into hot water recently over a “missing” grand piano – reveals a far more prosaic side than the national population is accustomed to seeing. “Any good movies showing at MovieTowne?” he asked on Friday.