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Three out of every four young Indians choose video dating to find love
BY S VENKAT NARAYAN,
Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, October 1:More and more young Indians, even in small towns, are relying on dating apps to find love and companionship. They are choosing video calls over in-person dating to know each other. The surge in usage is especially strong outside metro cities, which now account for 70% of users of the dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble and TrulyMadly, company executives said.Cities such as Ahmedabad, Surat, Lucknow, Jaipur, Chandigarh and Patna are seeing a significant surge in usage, catching up with the country’s major cities.
With virtual dates becoming a norm, a substantial number of women are now becoming more vocal on dating platforms.Nearly 72% of users believe finding love online without meeting them in person is possible, the executives at dating apps said.
“The distinction between our online and offline world is blurring. As a result, the time spent online is on the rise,” said Shalini Singh, founder of Andwemet, a dating service for 25-plus single Indians that has seen its user-base triple annually in the past two years.
Singh said there is more trust in online platforms in the post-pandemic era, and people are willing to pay for the convenience of online dating.Usage in these cities has also been boosted with many moving to their hometowns from metros after the pandemic, she said. Dating apps are attracting affluent users even in small-town India.
According to Tinder’s Year in Swipe 2021, video dates have become a first-date staple for singletons, with mentions of ‘video call’ in Tinder bios growing by 52% globally.
Many Indians took to video dating on Tinder, where Hyderabad reigned supreme as the chattiest city, followed closely by Chennai and Bengaluru. Yet, young adults were also looking to make a connection with new people close to them for real-life hangouts with ‘nearby’ and ‘close by’, both increasing by 20% in Tinder bios globally, showing that real-world dating isn’t going out of fashion anytime soon.
“As we shift back to IRL (in real life) dating in 2022, the trends of last year are guiding the way India’s young adults navigate the world of dating, friends, connections and relationships,” said Papri Dev, senior director, APAC communications lead, Tinder Inc.
Snehil Khanor, co-founder and chief executive officer of TrulyMadly, said that most first dates are still on video, and if things work out, users plan an offline date.Sybil Shiddel, country manager for Gleeden, a platform designed for extramarital relationships, said during the pandemic, a large part of its user base found virtual exchanges satisfying.
“They were happy with having found companionship and that their online exchanges allowed them to unwind, laugh, flirt and sext without putting them at risk. Time spent on the app has tripled,” Shiddel said.
“In 2022, when the ghost of the pandemic is no longer lingering above our heads with the same strength as previous years, Indian users still spend an average of 3.5 hours chatting,” Shiddel said. Before March 2020, most Gleeden users came from Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Chennai.
During 2020, 2021 and the first part of 2022, the maximum traction was seen from Gurugram (currently the platform’s No. 5 city), Chandigarh, Kochi, Jaipur, Lucknow, Noida, Nagpur, Indore, Navi Mumbai, Burdwan, Howrah and Thane.
Agreeing that video calls are now a part of the screening process before an in-person date, Able Joseph, founder and CEO of dating app Aisle, said casual hook-ups may be on a slow decline. “Loneliness—coupled with a few years of uncertainty—has led to a certain sense of collective fatigue that’s developed in the Indian dating landscape. Singles are found moving away from the endless loop of swiping across dating platforms and are now looking for more substance in a relationship,” Joseph added.
Since the majority of the new users are signing up from smaller towns and cities, with limited matches in their location, they are looking online for suitable partners across the country, said Ravi Mittal, founder and CEO of dating service QuackQuack, which has seen an 11% jump in female users.Samarpita Samaddar, India communications director at Bumble, said the pandemic has made “more than half of us (62%)” realize that it’s okay to be alone for a while.
“People are consciously deciding to be single, with the majority of single people (54%) being more mindful and intentional in how and when they date,” she said.
A nationwide survey conducted in 2021 showed that after the second covid wave in India, emotional connection (60%) and kindness (55%) top the charts as being the most important to single Indians in dating, Samaddar said.
“Social good in terms of volunteering, donating to social causes (48%) especially rank high in preferences for millennials in India,” she added.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
