"I love to mingle. I can cover miles and go over mountains for a good conversation. As a child, I would spend time with neighbors, teachers or even vendors to get my regular dose of baat-cheet. As a social media analyst, I explore various online avenues to connect with folks – both like-minded and otherwise. I want to see how conversation in India is changing - in general and for women in particular. Be it social media or a dating app, I delve into all to understand the structure of conversations in general. I believe that how we talk and what we talk about reveals the society we live in.

Naturally, people who care for me worry about my “strange” rendezvous. While I understand their concern, I tell them, “If we don’t talk, we will never overcome our bias against strangers.” I believe that conversations are the first step towards building trust in society. When we talk, we share and for sharing one needs trust. It can be momentary, but it is one of the basic ingredients of kindling conversations. This is a trust-building exercise. It is a meaningful experience. What a wasted life it would be without such experiences.

Recently one of my friends shared his dating app encounters with me. I got excited and logged in. Upon discovering a sea of strangers with interesting stories, I couldn’t resist diving in. I interacted with an artist and we both decided to meet over Sutta-Chai. Kafka, Marquez Hemingway and Gandhi floated freely in the atmosphere. We clicked and decided to meet again for a movie. This time, some of our friends joined. We watched Neerja, exchanged views and parted ways with souls well-fed with kissa-kahani. We might meet again or we might not, but that evening is going to stay with me forever."