For some women, the recipe for Happily Ever After comes with one ingredient less: A man. Instead of aiming for couplehood, they're choosing to stay single, relying on their own finances and networks of family and friends for fulfilment. The recipe needs a bit of prep, they admit - but they're loving how it's turning out.
Writer and author Sreemoyee Piu Kundu, 45, grew up in Kolkata where middle-class women were married by their 20s, before she moved to Delhi. "We would rush to the library for Mills & Boon romance novels," she recalls. "Being liked by a man meant being sexually validated." Being married was the goal. After two relationships, one of which ended at 24 with her fiancé breaking it off via text, she's skipping the goal entirely.
Nidhi Sharan, 47, a single mother of two who runs a cloud kitchen in Delhi-NCR, got married at 24, owing to social pressure. She remembers making it clear to her in-laws that she intended to work after the wedding. "The idea of depending on a man to make us happy starts very early in India," she says. She's been single for two years and intends to stay so.
Esta historia es de la edición November 04, 2023 de Brunch.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición November 04, 2023 de Brunch.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Sunny Leone
Entrepreneur, actor. @SunnyLeone
Going above and beyond
Marom specialises in nature photography. He started with macro photography, or capturing tiny subjects in extreme close-up, to make them look bigger.
Get cot in the act
Vivan Sundaram's 12 Bed Ward is sparse, simple, but haunting. Is this an abandoned hospital, a forgotten dorm, a bombed-out base or something more familiar?
In it for the long haul
Travelling gets better as you grow older. But less pressure and more funds bring with them aching bones and low energy. Here's how to cope
A whole different ball game
The kofta varies in name, taste and texture across continents. It's time India acknowledged its own contribution to the multiverse of meatballs
Opening acts
These young, new musicians are facing family pressure, juggling full-time jobs, and battling the rise of AI. They tell us what it's like to debut in 2024
Bring me the manager
Money won't conjure up a handbag that's out of stock. Angry calls will not get you off a waitlist. Don't be an entitled customer
How to pin down a scam
They pose as cops. They ask for OTPs. They lure you with bonuses. They're so smooth. Here's a cheat sheet to suss out a scam caller before it's too late
Is there truth to this tale?
It's biopic season. It's also a good time to test what movies have learnt from true-life stories and from life itself
Mercury in the microwave
Heat wave? Wave back. On screen, summer looks gorgeous. These 10 films showcase the bright side of the season
