Delhi Metro: The New Lovers’ Paradise?
By Preetika Rana and Nikita Garia
Prakash Singh/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Delhi’s metro stations have become the city’s latest dating hot spot.
More In Travel
What the Indian Business Traveler Wants
Ramadan Delicacies in Bangalore
Ramadan Food Delights in Kolkata
Text Messages Tell Travelers Where to Get Off
Q&A: Marketing Indian Villages to Tourists
Secluded lanes and parks are no longer the big thing: a generation after Gen X, young, loved-up couples seem to be going underground, literally.
When Delhi’s metro was inaugurated in 2002, little did the government know that it would do more than just bridge physical distances. It seems to be bringing lovers closer, too. Recently expanded and revamped for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the metro has now become one of India’s capital’s dating hot spots.
Walk into most of the city’s metro stations and you are likely to see young men and women walking hand in hand or cuddled on staircases. So what is it about the metro that attracts infatuated couples?
For starters, the free air-conditioning offers welcome relief from the scorching heat outdoors. An added bonus are the food joints and cafés housed in most major stations – this is where metro lovers can go for a quick bite to eat should they ever tire of endless eye gazing and exchanging coy smiles.
Above all, many see metro stations as a convenient hideout. Deepansha Trivedi, a 20-year old Delhi University student, said that while malls come with a higher risk of unwanted parental intrusion, metro stations are a safer bet.
Rohan Agarwal, 25, who is based in Mumbai, says that whenever he is in Delhi he makes time to catch up with his girlfriend in a café at Rajiv Chowk station. His parents don’t necessarily know.
Some, like 21-year old Shariq Vellar, have even found love in the metro. That’s where he first approached his current girlfriend, and that was four years ago. Mr. Vellar said that although they lived in the same neighborhood, he could never muster the courage to speak to her. A ride on a packed metro coached offered him the perfect chance to break the ice: Mr. Vellar offered her his seat. Soon after, romance blossomed.
Narinder Nanu/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Many have found their better half at Delhi’s metro stations.
Besides, if you think the metro is not enough to make the magic happen, you could always turn to Metromates, a website aimed at connecting metro travelers, for a little extra help. Who knows – you may even luck out and find more than just a friend.
However, not all youngsters are fans of Delhi’s metro stations. Malvika Singh, 24, who recently graduated from Delhi University, finds it “too crowded for a date.” She noted that in the metro “people stare at you,” just as they do in the park.
There are also those who disapprove of such public displays of affection. Padmini Anand, a 33-year old regular metro traveler, said she is “appalled” at the sight of young love birds hanging out near the platforms. Sickened by their bashful smiles and stolen glances, Ms. Anand noted that metro stations have become a worthy competitor of Delhi’s other lovers’ paradise: Lodhi Gardens.
Follow India Real Time on Twitter @indiarealtime.
Via: India Real Time
