Women, it's time you got your act together on dating apps

Single, lonely men and women across all age groups are craving for connection. Unfortunately, men are doing all the work on dating apps and women are just not interested in playing the game

- SOMI DAS

Utterly lonely. Utterly single. I was a girl in a new city, like Konkona Sen Sharma in Wake up Sid. Pandemic has spawned new types of work cultures, and new types of jobs. So, here I was working all by myself, with remote support in a big office space. Zero human interaction barring routine encounters with my house-help and the office errand boy.

I walked the streets of this beautiful city soaked in autumn melancholy like all lonely, heart-broken, independent women in fancy long coats or cardigans do in coming of age feminist movies. Gentle wind playing with my ear length hair and filling me with the desire to hold someone's hand while taking this stroll. I wished like Konkona I would have a meet-cute moment with the Sid of my life. Maybe while walking on the streets; in a cafeteria; or while leafing through books in the local bookstore.

But nothing really happened. As if the pandemic had killed the romance in our life. People were struggling to keep jobs and make ends meet. People were getting divorced, breaking up with their long time partners, seeking therapy, adopting pets, joining zoom communities to connect with strangers to pursue intellectual and spiritual interests. Existential dread was pushing them to get married and have children, and they in turn were persuading their friends to follow suit with the zealousness of an evangelist.