Out Of Bounds?

Dating apps meant exclusively for married people are a reality, as the millions who subscribe to them will attest. But, what do they mean for women in India? Anindita Ghosh gets two of them to debate

- Anindita Ghosh

Dating apps for singletons is old news, and now, left and right swipes have become as much a part of a millennial’s lexicon as coffee dates used to be. The latest buzz, at least in India, is around extramarital dating apps. Touted as the answer for all those stuck in bad marriages, these apps have found resounding success in this country of arranged marriages, and strong societal and parental controls, where couples battle it out in sour relationships for fear of disapproval and ostracism.

This is probably why French dating app Gleeden, which is exclusively for married people, has over 3.4 lakh Indian subscribers. While over 75 per cent of these are men, the fact that 85,000 women from across the country have hooked on to it for companionship or sex, says something too. Incidentally, Gleeden doesn’t charge a fee from its female subscribers, and is run by an all-women-team.

With numbers like these, extramarital dating apps are clearly a reality. What we wanted to find out was what it means to Indian women. Here are their views.

HATE IT!

Swati Rai, 40

Freelance trainer/writer, based in Delhi

Extramarital dating apps have been quite the rage all over the world for a while now. They have made inroads into the Indian market as well, and reportedly, enjoy a huge subscription. While the Supreme Court only recently passed a ruling decriminalising adultery, it is not to say that earlier, extramarital affairs, swinging clubs, or swapping of partners were non-existent, and that minor flirting indiscretions didn’t count. So, these apps are hardly the harbingers of marital infidelity.