Arranged marriage gets a new twist as love-seekers log on

'Although I got proposals, it somehow never worked out with education or family background,' said Delhi native Meera Chopra, describing her search for a potential groom. 'But I met my husband on Shaadi.com, and it has worked out very well - in a way, I guess it was also pure luck.'

The age-old Indian tradition of arranged marriage is taking a new, entirely modern twist as the increasing popularity of the internet sparks an explosion in social networking websites.

Traditionalists are quick to write off such outlets as encroachments on India's youth by the west, but proponents say such sites facilitate the spread of traditional Indian values.

Sites such as Facebook and Orkut are becoming increasingly popular around the globe but Minglebox, Desimartini and Shaadi.com are experiencing huge growth in usage in India.

'Previously the most popular social networking sites in India were international, where the common language is English,' said Vivek Pahwa, the founder of Desimartini.com. 'But there is some value and uniqueness to the local languages in India, and culturally Facebook does not reach out to these people. That is now being covered by these other, newer social networks.'

The sites are hesitant to release specific growth statistics but there are signs Indian membership has skyrocketed in recent years.