Car'pe diem to the love brigade

Seems like youngsters in the city are hell bent on meeting new people, one way or another. From being set up by friends, meeting in bars and cafes and even apps for dating, everything is about finding somebody to share interests with. But gen-next, constantly moving forward has figured out yet another way to find their significant others! Now, it’s all about romance on the go.

With a surge in car pooling in most major cities, youngsters seem to like the idea of meeting people whilst stuck in jams as they have nothing else to do! We talk to a few youngsters about the new dating trend, to find out more.

Though the concept is still new, it seems to be hitting off at a rapid pace. “It just seems to make sense to us because we end up spending hours stuck in traffic and on the road and we might as well make the most of it,” opines Shibani Nambiar, a student from the city. Curious to know how this works, we prod, “At first, it’s normal to avoid eye contact or invading another persons space. But I travel to and from Electronic City almost everyday and it gets tiring to look into phones, and is normal to crave conversation. I think that’s how conversations start off about where you’re heading to, and that leads to finding a common ground and a tonne of similarities. What has worked out for me in this whole scenario, is that most guys I’ve dated have lived close to where I do, and have ended up dropping me home after date nights, which is always safer than travelling alone,” she says about the added perk!

Everything does seem to be happening on the go today, including dating. “I’ve been on a fair share of dates with women but the thing with car pool rides is that, often, there are not more than two or three people in the car who are mostly youngsters who are already have a similar mindset as you, so it’s not very hard to start an engaging conversation,” opines Rahul Narain, a techie. “I’ve met some really cool women on many rides and even remember being a tad bit disappointed when I didn’t see them again,” reveals the 28-year-old. “And the conversations that have led to dates were the completely relaxed ones because there was no pressure of actually going to a particular venue and being formal. It was casual conversations which got us knowing a little about each other and then deciding to go out once we knew we liked each other enough, because honestly, there are apps and everything else for the other stuff,” he adds.
Agreeing with Rahul, another techie from the city Supriya Shukla who is currently in a relationship with somebody she met on one of the car pool rides, shares her insight. “More than anything else, this just saves time. I take a cab from my house to the nearest metro station which takes me straight to work.

The same guy took the cab with me almost everyday and at first, and even thought he was stalking me for a while!” she admits giggling, she adds, “Once we got talking and realised we had a lot in common, apart from our similar timings and routes, the idea of spending more time together was just appealing. We have been together for a couple of months now and irrespective of whether we have a date or not, I know I’ll get to see him and spend time with him every day,” she says signing off.