“I think it was love at first sight. I was attracted by the way he spoke. He was so friendly and humble. And he was also attracted to me,” the 36-year-old chartered secretary enthused.

No, Vinodhini did not meet him at a party. Neither did she meet him at the house of a relative or friend.

She met Yuvanendran, 39, at a matchmaking event called a “suyamvaram” in Penang on Sept 16 last year organised jointly by the Penang Hindu Association (PHA) and the Sri Meenakshi Sundaraeswarar Temple committee.

A busy career woman, Vinodhini had little time to socialise and find a partner and all the efforts of her uncles and aunties ended in failure. Mr Right eluded her even in a matrimony website.

That was when she heard of the “suyamvaram” in Penang.

The “suyamvaram” is an ancient practice originating in India where a woman chooses her husband from among a group of suitors. It was largely practised by kings and the nobility.

A man with a daughter of marriageable age would proclaim that a “suyamvaram” would be held and eligible bachelors would gather at the girl’s house at the appointed date and time. The girl would place a garland around the neck of the man she chose to marry.

Usually, the men would have to demonstrate their learning and prowess – including in skills such as archery and wrestling – in a competition among them.

However, the “suyamvaram” in Penang does not require the demonstration of such skills, only the men’s commitment to marry and care for their wives.

The organisers employ a template similar to that used by the Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS) in 1998 when it held the first of over 20 “suyamvaram”. In total, about 100 couples married as a result of these events.

It’s a simple process: men and women send in their profiles and must be present on the day. The profiles are displayed in the temple hall. Once someone feels he or she wants to talk to another applicant, the organisers arrange for them and their parents to meet in a room in the temple premises.

Vinodhini went with her parents to the “suyamvaram” last year and as they were looking at the profiles of the male participants, her father pointed out Yuvanendran’s. He felt the IT support engineer would make a suitable match.

They informed the organisers and a meeting was set up.

“We met each other for the first time in the presence of my parents and his mother. The moment I saw him I liked him. There was a spark. He too felt that way. The energy was very positive.”

They then consulted the “jothidar” or astrologer at the temple. “He read our horoscopes and said we had an excellent match – nine out of 10. I felt it was a miracle to get such a good match.”

After dating, the duo married on Feb 1 this year.

“Married life is great. I won’t say it is very smooth sailing but we work at it together. He is an understanding and caring person, and I’m really happy with my marriage.

“We are grateful to PHA and the temple committee, which is why Yuvan and I are going to Penang on Sept 16 to help the organisers at another ‘suyamvaram’,” Vinodhini said.

PHA president P Murugiah said this year’s “suyamvaram”, the second organised by the two bodies, aimed to bring more couples together.

“We had a large group of young people and their parents attending the ‘suyamvaram’ last year but only a handful tied the knot. We are hoping more will do so this year.”

The PHA ventured into matchmaking out of concern for the declining number of Indians in the country.

According to the department of statistics, the total estimated population this year is 33.4 million, with citizens making up 30.4 million. The Malay population stands at 70.1%, the Chinese at 22.6% and the Indians at 6.6%.

Murugiah said his association had found most young people were career-minded and wanted to be financially stable before considering marriage.

Murugiah said to encourage more people to get married, the temple would offer a 50% discount on the rental of its wedding hall for participants.

There will be “special offers” for the B40 group and physically challenged applicants who are successful in finding partners.

Murugiah said Malaysian Hindu men and women aged 21 to 60 who were unmarried, divorced, widows/widowers and single parents could contact him at 016-444 9246 or Dr Ponni Kannan at 017-503 5397 by Sept 10.