From Love Letters to Likes: The Journey of Indian Romance

-

There was a time when love in India bloomed slowly, like a monsoon flower. It was never rushed, never loud, but tender, patient, and deeply personal. A boy would take days to gather the courage to write a letter, carefully choosing his words, often hiding his feelings in poetry and metaphors. The envelope carried not just paper but the fragrance of hope, sometimes sprinkled with a little attar. When the letter finally reached its destination, it would be read again and again until the ink began to fade, while the emotions remained fresh. The ways these letters were delivered were astonishing, sometimes through post, at times hand-delivered, and lovers had to be nothing less than Sherlock to find the most untraceable method of expressing their feelings.

In small towns, postmen became silent witnesses to countless love stories, delivering letters written by shaky handwriting. A girl would tuck the letter between the pages of a diary or hide it under her pillow, smiling to herself each time she read it. Many love stories began at public wells, under banyan trees, by the village pond, or through fleeting glances exchanged at weddings during the sangeet. That was love, private, handwritten, and often hidden from the eyes of the world.

Then came the era of landlines, and love found its voice through BSNL and MTNL. Lovers memorized each other’s numbers and waited for the perfect moment when parents were not around. Hearts would race when the phone rang once, a signal in their secret Morse code. One “wrong number” could mean days without talking. Every “Hello” carried excitement, every “I have to go” felt heavy. Some even called from the neighborhood STD booth, speaking in hushed tones as the meter ticked away in rupees.

The late 90s brought SMS, and suddenly words became shorter while the heart raced faster. “I luv u” replaced long paragraphs, and prepaid balance became the new love currency. A missed call meant “I’m thinking of you”, and an unanswered call could spark a mini heartbreak. Couples timed their calls to late-night one-rupee plans, whispering sweet nothings while hoping the network would hold. I remember Hutch offering unlimited calls to one mobile number, a blessing for lovers of that time.

Now, love lives in pixels and notifications. From WhatsApp blue ticks to Instagram stories, romance has become instant and global. A relationship status on Facebook can make a love story public in seconds, and a single emoji can express more than entire paragraphs once did. Instead of hiding letters in diaries, we now hide chats in “Archived”. Even Bollywood reflects this shift, from Raj and Simran waiting at the railway station in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge to characters sending heart emojis in Dil Bechara.

Yet, in this fast-paced love, something has changed. The wait has grown shorter, the expressions louder, but perhaps the magic of anticipation has faded. In the old days, you could feel the weight of someone’s words on paper, today we scroll past them with a swipe.

Still, whether it is a handwritten “I miss you” on inland paper or a late-night “You up?” on chat, the essence remains. Love in India has always been about finding warmth in a world that can be cold, about holding someone close, whether through the pages of a letter or the glass of a smartphone.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Makes a Data Strategy Truly Great

-
In today's world, everyone talks about data being the "new oil," but collecting vast amounts of it isn't enough. What truly sets successful organizations apart is how thoughtfully and strategically they use their data.The idea of a "great data strategy" is changing, driven by amazing strides in AI, higher expectations from businesses, and the constant need to be adaptable. Having guided many organizations through their data and analytics transformations, I've seen firsthand that a successful data strategy isn't just about IT, it needs to become a fundamental part of how the business operates. Here’s what I believe truly defines an exceptional data strategy today. 1. It's About Business First, Not Just Data Too often, organizations kick off their data journey by focusing on technology, picking tools, building data lakes, and setting up pipelines. But in 2025, a truly effective data strategy begins with understanding your business goals. Ask yourse...
Read more

A Superhero Without a Cape: My Father

-
When we think of superheroes, our minds often drift to the ones in comic books, flying across the sky, saving lives, fighting villains. But my superhero never wore a cape. He wore a simple kurta or shirt, sometimes crumpled from a long day’s work, and the quiet confidence of a man who carried his entire world on his shoulders without ever asking for applause. My earliest memories of my father aren’t filled with dramatic declarations, they’re full of everyday moments soaked in silent strength. They’re full of  chai,  shared during early mornings, the faint sound of his bicycle bell outside the gate, and the comforting rustle of the newspaper in his hands. I’ve seen him pedal that old bicycle with me tightly clutching onto the back seat, no helmet, no worries, just trust, a freedom I have never felt before. I’ve seen him come home carrying bags heavy with vegetables, from the  sabzi mandi , in those bags, I eagerly waited for some surprize for me, a toffee, my favourit...
Read more

The Girl I Once Loved

-
It was a quiet Sunday afternoon when I saw her again, almost twenty years later. For a moment, my heart forgot how to beat. Could it really be her? Time is a strange thing. It slips through your fingers when you’re young and races past you when you’re older. But in that fleeting moment when our eyes met, time did something magical, it stood still. She stood by the edge of the park, sunlight wrapping around her like a familiar shawl. She wore a floral dress, pink shoes peeking beneath the hem, her hair swaying gently in the breeze. Those same warm brown eyes looked at me, still holding that quiet mischief I remembered. But this time, there were soft wrinkles at the corners, streaks of silver in her hair, and a kind of calm in her smile that only life can bring. And yet, to me, she was still the most beautiful girl. We first met in school, back when dreams were scribbled in the margins of notebooks and love meant stealing glances across the classroom. She used to sit two benches ahead of...
Read more