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.
This story is from the November 04, 2023 edition of Brunch.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 04, 2023 edition of Brunch.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Photos or pulp fictions?
Gauri Gill's portraits showcase ordinary folks, doing ordinary things, but wearing extraordinary masks. See why the quirky series offers more than what meets the eye
Hear it from a reliable sauce
Kikkoman launched a dark soya sauce for the Indian market after realising that Indians expect Chinese and pan-Asian dishes to have a rich, dark colour. It mimics the taste profile of the flagship Kikkoman soya but has a different colour.
He says, she says
Best friends, partners and actors Shweta Tripathi Sharma and Chaitnya Sharma answered the same questions in their first joint interview. The results: Couple goals
Against the machine
AI is already behind little tunes we hear every day. Could it create the next hit? Composers and engineers listen in
YOLO, so why go solo?
Films and shows are overrun with lone wolves. One fighter against all odds. One hero doing it all. Bea team player, maybe?
Get your vision tested here
Vision boards are great tools for those dreaming of anew job ora killer body. Don't just tack pics on toa wall. Here's how to doit right
Are You Of Week Mind?
You can't speed up fitness. Skincare is a slow process. Even learning a skill can take a year. Try unhacking for a change
A case of myth direction
Nutritional data is changing all the time. So, advice often seems contradictory and sketchy. Is breakfast essential? Is red meat evil? What's wrong with soy? Here's where science stands on the big questions
No kids on the block
Being childfree can be just as rewarding as having a big family. Those who've made the choice say there's no guilt, no regret. There are, however, bold new challenges. Take a look
Shes making her point
She calls herself Dot. She's anything but insignificant. Meet Aditi Saigal, viral at 18, actor by accident, musician for life, determined to try it all
