‘Meeting Someone in Person Is So Much Better’: Mumbai’s Speed Dating Experiment

‘Meeting someone in person is so much better than judging them through profile pictures’ — that was 26-year-old Priyanka Mahajan’s takeaway from a monsoon speed dating event hosted by the Bombay Times Life.Styled Club in Mumbai. She clicked with one participant during a two-minute speed date and is looking forward to seeing where the connection leads.

The evening was built around quirky ice-breakers, dare challenges, compliment rounds and two-minute dates, all designed to move people away from endless texting and toward real conversation. Kishan Kavadia, in his 20s and a repeat speed dating attendee, said the format has an edge over apps because ‘you get to see a person’s body language and personality immediately.’

For Mahima Kori, 26, who learnt about the event through a Times of India advertisement, the appeal was practical. ‘The whole process of texting someone and then meeting is exhausting. Meeting people physically saves so much time,’ she said. She received compliments from three participants during a compliment round, connected with one, and said she planned to keep talking to a couple of the men she met.

Social host Vatsal Sagar said the event was designed to shift people from digital dating to in-person interaction. ‘Real connections begin when you interact in person, and that’s exactly what we wanted participants to experience and embrace,’ he said.

Thirty-nine-year-old single mother Priyanka Amar, another participant, said she preferred the older approach to dating altogether. ‘I’m old school. If I have to restart my life, I’d rather meet someone in person than through an app,’ she said.