Highlights
- YourLavaan has brought together 30 Sikh couples across four countries since launching in 2020.
- Founder Harpreet Kaur created the app after seeing friends struggle to find compatible partners.
- The platform focuses on marriage, community values and personal compatibility rather than casual dating.
When Harpreet Kaur launched YourLavaan in 2020, she wasn't trying to compete with mainstream dating apps. Instead, she wanted to solve a problem she had witnessed among her own friends. Many were successful professionals, ready to settle down, yet struggling to find partners through traditional Sikh matrimonial routes or dating platforms that weren't designed with their community in mind.
"I personally had friends, and my partner had friends, who had been looking for three or four years for a partner," Kaur told Eastern Eye. "They were looking for someone from the same faith, but at that point there weren't any apps specific to the Sikh community. So we really just got going."
The timing proved significant. Just before the Covid-19 lockdown, the team launched what began as a simple website. As restrictions prevented people from meeting through Gurdwaras and community events, demand grew rapidly.
"People weren't able to meet," she recalled. "Traditionally, some would sign up to their local Gurdwara matrimonial list, but those places were limited on who could come and access them. We wanted to digitalise that process."
The website has since evolved into a dedicated app serving 1,764 members across four countries. Of those, 520 have found matches and 30 couples have gone on to marry. Every member is manually selfie-verified within 24 hours and confirms they are joining with the intention of finding a marriage partner. At an event setup
Harpreet with KondalsYourLavaan
Rather than chasing rapid growth, Kaur spent the platform's first four years building trust. "Ninety-nine per cent of our social media focused on Sikhi, culture, traditions and spiritual growth," she said. "People criticised us because they didn't even realise we were a matrimonial app, but our heart has always been in helping the community. Organically, people trusted us."
Putting people before profiles
Although families remain an important part of Sikh marriages, Kaur believes the decision must always belong to the couple themselves.
"The most important thing is that the husband and wife are compatible," she said. "They need to be in sync with each other's growth and development."
That philosophy shapes how the app operates. Family members cannot register relatives without their knowledge, something the team introduced after noticing parents and extended family creating profiles on behalf of others.
"My own friends had built up the courage to phone someone they liked, only for an auntie to answer," she said with a laugh. "You're completely thrown off track because you wanted to speak to the person. If you're serious about finding a life partner, you'll take those steps yourself. It's your life, so you need to be in the driver's seat."
The support offered extends well beyond simply matching users. Kaur said one of the biggest surprises was discovering how many people struggled to write about themselves.
"We learned really quickly that almost everybody needs help with their profile," she said. "People have lived incredible lives but don't know how to present themselves in a one-page profile."
The team regularly arranges phone calls and email exchanges to help members improve profiles and even guide first conversations.
"We've had people match and then say, 'It's been 48 hours and neither of us has said hello.' Some people in their mid-thirties have never dated before. Nobody has taught them how to start that conversation, so we help facilitate it."
Modern matchmaking rooted in Sikh values
Technology may power the platform, but Kaur insists values remain at its heart. Alongside practical filters, YourLavaan allows members to indicate where they are on their spiritual journey, recognising that not every Sikh practises their faith in exactly the same way.
"This generation doesn't have a choice but to move with technology," she said. "Apps have to move quickly, but our values don't change. You need to be content as an individual before bringing your best self into a marriage."
She believes relationships work best when individuals continue growing after marriage rather than expecting a partner to provide fulfilment.
"We're not looking for someone to complete us. We're looking to share happiness with somebody," she said. "Keep doing whatever fills your cup because that's what your partner was attracted to in the first place."
The platform has also adapted based on community feedback. While lifestyle filters remain for transparency, the team removed caste as a search option after discussions with members of the Sikh community.
"A gentleman told me that if we're leading the way, caste shouldn't have a place on the app," she said. "Within 24 hours we removed it, and people adapted very quickly."
A couple who met from YourLavaanYourLavaan
Looking beyond the wedding day
For Kaur, the 30 marriages represent more than a milestone. She sees them as the foundation for healthier families and future generations.
One story particularly stands out. A woman signed up intending to give the app just one month before cancelling. Within her first week she met the man she would later marry.
"It shows that when you're ready and your intentions are right, that person may already be there waiting to be found," Kaur said.
She becomes emotional when asked what she hopes people will say about YourLavaan years from now.
"I hope the marriages we've helped create continue to flourish," she said. "It's not just the marriages that we're building. It's the future generation having a solid foundation."
Her advice to those beginning their search is to focus on themselves first.
"Pause and reflect. Are you content? Are you emotionally secure? Don't look for somebody to fill a void or complete you. We don't need quantity. It has to be a quality decision that you're joining and ready to find a partner."
