Is Speed Dating Finally Gaining Momentum In India?

Speed dating is not a new concept. According to The New York Times, speed dating was invented in the late nineties by a Rabbi named Yaacov Deyo as a way for young Jews to meet other young Jews. Soon, the concept became a hit and people starting organising events to get to meet new people and to hopefully start dating or get married to someone they met through the event.

It is understandable that a concept like this might not work in a country like India, but then again, we have people matching up their children for marriage on matrimonial websites.

In the West, the concept has been popular for years. In India, not so much. It was not until last year that speed dating events actually took a mainstream turn. It is understandable that a concept like this might not work in a country like India, but then again, we have people matching up their children for marriage on matrimonial websites.

Speed dating is a better concept than online websites because you get to meet someone, you get their vibe, you see how a person talks to you or others around you and you get to see how they look in real life as opposed to the photos that they might choose to put up online. In India, Life Of Line, a company that conducts speed dating events has been in operation since August of 2016. They have organised 50 events so far in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Kolkata, Goa and Chandigarh.

Vijay, the founder of Life Of Line told us that the idea came about when he and his friends got fed up of meeting people online, investing so much time and then getting disappointed in the end. He said, "We thought we should make it easier for Indian people to meet new people. We understand that it is a bold step for an Indian audience, but so far we have had an amazing response, and more and more people are open to the concept of speed dating."

"For women, this is a great opportunity and many women have said so themselves because no one knows your last name, your number, your address."

Indian men would find this concept appealing, but what about Indian women? There is a lot of security when it comes to events like these. Vijay explains, "The registration process is quite rigorous. First of all, you have to pay a fee, and then we meet the people and get to know them, we get all their documents submitted and only then we invite them to the event. For women, this is a great opportunity and many women have said so themselves because no one knows your last name, your number, your address. If a woman and man both like each other and there is a mutual interest, only then do we pass on their numbers to them."

With the younger generation making more contact on apps like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Tinder, speed dating comes as a fresh new outlook to dating. A lot of young people register on sites like Tinder, but never find interesting people and end up spending a lot of time with people they don't like. Speed dating is a new concept in India, but is definitely catching on with people.

Pic credits: Life Of Line Facebook Page

Also read: Seven Online Tools for Women Safety in India