HEAVENLY MATCHES!
We are on the 29th
floor of her palatial penthouse in Monaco, waiting to watch the Grand-Prix race. The noise and glamour of the
European elite were spread througout the city of French reverie. Amidst all this activity I wished to spend
some quiet momets with her and she encouraged me to ask her out for
coffee. Because of the need to take care
of her clients she had very limited time for me.
I wished to go
to the Ethiopian coffee boutique where the grinding and roasting of the coffee
beans by the barista amused me, and she wanted to sit outside by the pool. Once there she wanted a strawberry shake and an extra cream latte. She was still distracted because of a problem
with one of her clients, a French racecar champion, and trying to find a
perfect match for him. After an
introductory conversation, I explained my situation to her. She had a straightforward reply, she said: “Dear
you are too young”. But I will explain
my fees to you anyway.
Strangely, I did
not mind the fees, but questioning my
age left me annoyed?
Long ago, I
heard the Jewish songs about traditions and matchmakers in the movie “Fiddler
On the Roof”..
Matchmaker, matchmaker,
Make me a match, find me a find, catch me a catch
Matchmaker, matchmaker
Look through your book, and make me a perfect match
Matchmaker, matchmaker,
I'll bring the veil, you bring the groom,
Slender and pale. Bring me a ring for I'm longing to be,
The envy of all I see.
For Papa,
Make him a scholar.
For mama,
Make him rich as a king.
For me, well,
I wouldn't holler
If he were as handsome as anything.
Here she was,
the matchmaker of the royals, fixing up the elite, interlinking the princes
from the MENA (Middle East and North Africa), and connecting Indian businessmen with classy divas.
Having the
experience of playing cupid across Europe, Angelika Lancsak launched herself recently
into the Indian market. So what brings Angelika to India? A land where
relationships are” made in heaven” but still divorce rates are high. Too bogged
down with Parsi patriarchs , kangaroo courts of khap Panchayats, child
marriages and Satis. Isn’t it turning
out to be a complicated situation for her?
Excerpts from
our interview with her...
Q.
So, Matchmaking, relationship brokerage, how tough is that. Why did you land
up here?
It is a
tough work, a challenging work, a social work, a satisfying work.
I was in Switzerland / 1996, hanging out with bankers & co. and realized
that those accomplished people with the typical Swiss spirit have no access
to outstanding female mates. Therefore, I decided to explore the market of
matchmaking! It was an idea I had – and I was good enough to be successful.
Q.
Your job demands travelling, connecting with people, understanding the
cultures and holding the values. Is it really complex/ how you localize
thoughts?
Yes it
is complex. I have to understand the culture and the values. If I don’t move
– I can’t learn – I can’t develop my attitude - which results in excellent
work: Expect excellence – that’s my line.
Q.
Classic differentiation between, US, European, Arabs and Indian over their
previews, wants, expectations from the relationships?
Certainly
some societies are more closer than others eg. the Arab and Indian
society…but the world wide web & social media have done a lot in opening
up the minds of the so called *cosmocrats* (a prosperous business school graduate benefiting from globalization and living the global
lifestyle./Wiktionary.org) who are a big part of my clientele. At the
end they all are human beings - hailing back to planet earth -
seeking the same: A stable relationship where they might find warmth, love,
respect and an emotional home.
Q You
have been generating some good business from gulf countries. Any specific
reasons?
I simply
love the orient. The occident has experienced great wisdom from the orient in
earlier centuries and I think both sides can *win-win* in mingling and
learning from each other. I continually build mental models of this situation
– and I enlarge the model to encompass more factors!
Q.
India! I remember you explaining me, some Indian businessmen are liars.
How come?
Haha! Maybe
related to one Indian investment banker who told me a *1001 nights*
collection of stories where the fee / payment has disappeared to! Hilarious!
Well if you look at those High Court *issues* a good amount of Indian
businessmen has - you get some ideas don’t you?
Q.
And how long in the affinity of love does marriage stands? You know the
customs here, so live in relations might not work because of their public
image, will you still work with them?
My goal
is to bring people together for the purpose of marriage. „Live-in relations“have
a bad image all over the world. Even in Europe it is kind of „just accepted“in
good families. A man who respects a woman – will propose in any case! I want
them to get married - definitely! Weddings are big fun!
Q.
Twenty years down the line. What updates are you expecting in the dating
scenario around the world?
To be
honest – family is the most precious asset in a human’s life. We all are
social beings. Certainly, people will *go global* - will marry different
cultures – will have to learn a lot – will become masters of those challenges
– or fail! That’s life!
Q.
What legacy you hope to leave around.
I have
been hit by the talent to read people in a few seconds and to match those who
are *made for each other*. I think it is my *dharma* to do that – highly
influenced by my Yoga practice of about 20 years –being on this path you
develop your talents even more. I come from a wealthy family, got an
excellent education and started with all advantages in life. It is not
satisfying to live a comfortable life. One has to leave the comfort-zone,
seeking challenges and go for those. We can make ourselves what we will. And
- it gives inner peace to help others. Om tat sat.
Isn’t it strange that the
people at the height of material achievement and world leaders in business, at the end of the day, they realize the importance of family, love and
relationships. Aren’t we lucky enough to have learned these values
early in life! I thought I would argue with her on the importance of
family in our lives. However, she herself is dedicated to these same values. The readers of this magazine are the youth who
are in a very critical stages of their lives, having big dreams and big
ambitions, with a need to excel! The
extreme pressure to excel may lead them to take shortcuts, and this may lead them to make bad choices that could
cause problems for themselves and their loved ones. So, ponder on these thoughts and ask yourself
how much do your values matter to you. Good luck!
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**This interview has been published in *21 Fools* – a magazine for
young intellectual Indians**
