For those who find dating apps exhausting, small talk meaningless, and
swipes too transactional… love isn’t gone, it’s just waiting beyond the
algorithm, in moments that are not artificial.
By Disha Gattani
Is it still about fate, or just another formula to crack?
Siddhi Arora, 29, data analyst from Delhi at Wipro, has her doubts. “I got tired
of the ‘situationships.’ Everything felt temporary. I’d go on great dates, but the
moment things got real, people pulled away. It’s like no one wants to invest
anymore.” After a year of swiping left on dating apps, and right on
disappointment, she decided to quit them all.
Styling: Ishita Katoch | Makeup: Ishita Katoch | Photography: Tanya Verma | Editing: Disha Gattani
Ishita Katoch, 20, pursuing her pursuing fashion communication from Pearl Academy, Delhi, “My parents met at a coaching class. For a year, letters were written to my mom by my dad before she said yes! Now, moving on has become too easy, one bad date, and the next person is just swiped to.”
Theoretically, having more dating options should increase our chances of finding attachment. But according to psychologists this is the paradox of
choice, when given too many options, we struggle to commit to just one. The irony? While apps promise infinite possibilities, they often leave people feeling lonelier than ever.
The exhaustion is real. One minute, you’re making weekend plans; the next, you’re staring at a ghosted chat. Conversations start, but never go beyond “Hey, how are you?” The moment things require effort, people check out. “I felt like I was running in circles,” Mirshthi Grover, 20, pursuing fashion communication from Pearl Academy, Delhi admits, “Texting, matching, meeting, then repeating the cycle with someone new,” she adds.
Take a step back and rethink love. Maybe it’s still found in unexpected moments, in the stranger who offers their umbrella in the rain, in a bookshop debate over the last copy of a bestseller, in a friendship that slowly turns into something more.
Styling: Mirshthi Grover | Makeup: Mirshthi Grover | Photography: Risha Jain
Editing: Disha Gattani
“I joined a ‘weekend hiking group’ from Delhi through Instagram,” Mirshthi Grover says. “I’ve had the most organic, pressure-free conversations there. Real chemistry isn’t in a text; it’s in how we laugh together, how unexpected debates unfold, and how small moments turn meaningful,” she adds.
Real connection isn’t outdated; it just grows where validation isn’t rushed. Maybe it’s less about proving something and more about building something together.
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