Speed dating gains popularity among Delhi’s ‘T20 generation’

Picture a café in Cyber Hub or a mall in south Delhi. Tables are set and half a dozen couples are engrossed in deep conversations, all of them on their first dates. The twist is that the dates are time-bound. Every three minutes, a buzzer sounds and the couples stop talking. The boys stand up and move to the girl at the table on their left – their date for the next three minutes. This is the world of speed dating, where couples have just a few minutes to get to know each other and make a good first impression, so that it might lead to a ‘real’ date after the session is over. In the west, speed dating has been around for decades, but back home, it has become popular only in the past year or so. And the concept has become a perfect fit for the corporate employees of Gurgaon, who say that in their hectic lives, it serves as the perfect way to meet new people.
Love in the T-20 generation: Youngsters at a speed dating event organised in Gurgaon

A good option for those with little time to socialize
Several speed dating events have been held recently in NCR, with a majority of them being organised in Gurgaon. Organisers say there is at least one event every six or eight weeks, with a number of them held in January and February, in the run-up to Valentine’s Day. This year, there were three events in the week before Valentine’s Day, two in Gurgaon and one in Delhi. Gautam K Sur, an executive with a company that has organized half-a-dozen speed dating events in Delhi and Gurgaon in the last one year, says, "The response from people has been pleasantly surprising. We thought that Indian youngsters might be too coy for this concept. But, at our first event in Gurgaon, we had over 400 on-the-spot registrations. The response in Delhi was similar."
Most participants in speed dating events say they started to attend these out of curiosity and did not expect much at first, but have grown to like them. Rajat*, an IT consultant from Gurgaon, says, "It is a convenient way to meet new people. Online, you never know who is genuine and what people are hiding. On regular dates, it is all very long-drawn. We are the T20 generation. Test match humko nahin chalta. I started out of curiosity but this is fun. I have had multiple dates with a couple of girls I met through speed dating events."
Anshika*, a Gurgaon-based research scholar, says, "I met my boyfriend at a speed dating event. I had gone there just because two of my friends wanted to. It was supposed to be a fun girls’ day out, but I met him and liked him. We exchanged numbers and went on a couple of dates and pretty soon, we started dating exclusively."
While speed dating events are held in both Delhi and Gurgaon (Noida is yet to catch up to the fad), it is the Millennium City where youngsters have taken to the concept like a fish to water. Nikita, a management employee from Gurgaon, says, "Since people only have two-three minutes to make an impression, the conversations are much more direct. There is none of the annoying small talk. People talk about likes, dislikes, and even what kind of partner they are looking for in the first minute itself. It is so refreshing to have guys not try to embellish or impress you with big words. There is just no time for that." Ashish Jindal, a 25-year-old from Gurgaon, adds, "I have attended both Delhi and Gurgaon events. In Delhi, it’s mainly students while in Gurgaon, the crowd is much older and much more mature. Here, it comprises people who are working in corporate jobs and have little time to socialize. The conversations are much more fun, and in Gurgaon, people are generally much more open to newer ideas. I have managed to get three dates from these sessions in the last four months."

A speed dating event held at Cyber Hub on Valentine’s Day

‘It is fun, but not expecting to find true love’
However, for many, speed dating is just a new fad and not a method for finding ‘the one’. Ratnika Sharma, an IT executive who works at Cyber Hub, says, “There were online chat rooms. Then came apps like Tinder and now, it is speed dating. I have taken part in a couple of sessions over the last few months, but only out of curiosity. I didn’t go there with the agenda of meeting my one true love or even expecting that. It’s just good fun and more often than not, just earns you a couple of decent dates.” Many in Gurgaon and Delhi echo Ratnika’s sentiment and say it would be premature to mistake their enthusiasm for speed dating as it being a viable option for scouring romantic partners. Deeksha, a student from Delhi, says, “I participated in one session because I was curious and it was fun. Sadly, I didn’t find anybody who was my type. I had fun with the experience but did not get even a single date. I would do it again because it is nice to go out and meet people but I don’t expect to fall in love with anyone during one of these sessions.”
(*Some names have been changed)