SEARCH FOR LOVE GOES IRL AGAIN

Burnt out by the constant swiping and game-playing on apps, singles are looking up from their phones and seeking out real-life mixers and meetups arranged by friends

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Before getting out of the bed in the morning, Anjali P. spends at least an hour on her phone. She first opens Bumble, replies to unread messages, plans a date, and returns to swiping left and right. Ditto with her Hinge and Tinder accounts.

She started this exercise in January, as part of her 2024 resolution: to find her "lobster" (mate for life). For the past 10 years, the 40-year-old professor at Delhi University has been on five dating apps all in the hope of finding real connection. She's been on dates in cafés, bars, restaurants, pottery workshops, movie halls, even once at an airport. "It feels like a job that has no out-time." Deep down, Anjali is over it all: the endless swiping, the robotic get-to-know chats, the heartbreak when a two-month textationship ends after a meeting, the self-doubt after being ghosted. Yet she can't stop scrolling. "My therapist says I should take a break.