Nadia Jagessar of Netflix’s Indian Matchmaking Talks Family, Marriage, and Indo-Caribbean Culture

transcribed by Alyssa Mongroo

If you binged-watched Netflix’s latest hit docu-series “Indian Matchmaking” then you definitely know cast member Nadia Jagessar. Unapologetically Indo-Caribbean, known for her love of Bollywood dancing, infectious smile and loving personality, Nadia has become a fan-favorite amongst all viewers. Our editor Juanita D. dived into a deep conversation with Nadia touching on family, marriage, and Caribbean culture. 

Throughout Indian Matchmaking, we see a loving and supportive relationship between Nadia and her Guyanese parents. Whether it’s having breakfast together or having mimosas with her mom on their trip to Chicago, she maintains her parents have always been supportive of her endeavors and ideas. Nadia aspires to have a love as strong as the one her parents have for each other. During the initial moments of their conversation, Nadia discusses her father’s recent surgery during filming. We learned that Nadia’s mother donated her kidney to him. Nadia jokes about considering a life partner based on the same blood type. Her likable personality never ceases to make us laugh. 

“ I actually have the same thing my dad has. When I actually said ‘I hope my future husband has the same blood type’ I lowkey wasn’t joking.”

Do you feel Indo-Caribbean culture puts pressure on girls and women to be married by a certain age?

“100%. I think the culture as a whole does. My parents, luckily do not do that to me. I actually get the pressure more from my extended family. Every year when my grandma calls me for my birthday she’s like ‘oh Happy birthday, you’re in your early thirties...you should be married.’ I was helping my nani’s sister, at my cousin’s wedding walk her to the car and she was like ‘you know Nadia I want to see you get married before I die.’ I was like What?! No pressure at all. She’s in her late eighties. There definitely is that pressure.”

Do you think that pressure needs to change in our culture?

“Yeah. I think so. I think now women or people in general are more independent. Growing up our parents got married early and they moved here and they had to stay together for survival pretty much. They were dependent on each other to build their life together in a new country. They were each other’s friends and family. Now, we have more opportunities than our parents have…we were born and raised here. We’re not dependant upon having someone else to build with. We can build our own homes. I think it will change, but it will happen slowly. Even with technology, if you’re trying to have a child, you can have a child later on in life it’s okay it will still be a healthy baby.”

Do you think everyone is destined or meant to be married?

“Oooooh, that’s a good one. I go back and forth on this. I myself, am like, do I actually need to be married? Why can’t I just have a partner, that we can choose to be with each other? Just because we did not sign a piece of paper that says hey you guys are legally bound together—how does that change our relationship? No. I don’t think you are meant to be married. I think that may be an unpopular opinion. I don’t think you have to be married to be happy and in love and just living your best life.” 

What is your advice would for women considering using a matchmaker?

“My advice would be don’t think that person is a magician. It’s not magic, you’re not going to give them your criteria and they will pull a person out of a hat. Yes, they can probably give you options to fit your criteria, but if the chemistry is not there it’s not there. Go into it with an open mind. Be patient but also be hopeful it could work. But yeah, it’s not magic.” 

What’s the next big move for Nadia?

“I’m actually in the process of writing a book. I had started this prior to the show. I’m obviously focusing on my business. I hope weddings come back to the way we did them before. I do miss weddings genuinely.”

The gentleman that made you cry, have you heard from him? 

“He did message me a few nights ago. I have not responded. I have closed that chapter, and I do not owe an explanation to anyone. It has taken me a long time to get to this point, that you did something that hurt me and it’s not okay. I’m standing up for myself. We’re too old for this. I think that women and men need to be proud of who they are, and what they stand for and don’t accept somebody who isn’t going to treat you right.”

If there is once piece of advice you could give Indo-Caribbean girls on dating what would it be?

“Look outside of mainland India, The reach and scope of India are so much greater than what is just happening on the subcontinent. Embrace your friends or family from outside of it. At the end of the day, we are all the same. Our roots are all the same. I hope people learned a little bit about Guyana. I just hope that was a takeaway if anything.” 

What we loved most about Nadia’s time on the show is her love for family and her being proud of her Indo-Caribbean roots. Family plays a big role in Indo-Caribbean heritage and oftentimes decision-making. Nadia’s family was more than supportive of her decision to be —well Nadia. 

While Indo-Caribbeans are ethnically 100% Indian, our culture is a fusion of cultures. The Indo-Caribbean identity can be described as a marriage of Indian and Caribbean culture, yet our South Asian identity has consistently been questioned by certain members of the South Asian community. Despite such unecessary scrutiny many Indo-Caribbeans do not care about the judgments of certain caste-washed (brainwashed by the caste system) members of the South Asian community. In fact Indo-Caribbeans are proud of their fusion culture. They are proud of being both Indian by race and Caribbean by culture, hence Indo-Caribbean.