KATHMANDU, July 31: Cups filled with milk tea for the guests, you enter the room half filled with strangers who came to see you and ask for your hand in marriage. You shyly serve the tea, keeping your eyes averted from the guests. You take a glance at your future husband and nod in agreement. And the next time you look up, you’re in a red sari standing next to a stranger in their house.
Fast forward to 2025, love is just a swipe away. Unlike people saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in the past, dating online now means swiping ‘right’ for saying yes and ‘left’ for saying no. Online dating is becoming popular among Nepali youth, but what is it like?
Rosha, 34, had limited exposure to social settings. Hesitant, but to make new connections, she tried dating apps. Over time, she started enjoying the conversations. She tried Tinder first and moved to Bumble.
Photo: Rosha
“I met my husband during COVID-19 lockdown,” she recalls.
No limitation to beauty
“After just a few chats, we decided to meet and instantly clicked. It felt like we had been waiting to find each other.” Things moved fast. They both agreed to delete their apps almost immediately.
“We started dating, built a deep and meaningful connection, and before long, we knew we wanted to spend our lives together. So, we decided to get married.”
However, there is no guarantee that every swipe turns into a relationship or marriage.
Smriti, 21, hoping to be in a relationship, went to various dating apps. She vividly remembers that one match on Bumble.
Photo: Smriti
“We talked for just two days before he got weirdly obsessed,” says Smriti. “When I tried to slow things down, he bluntly said, ‘I want to forget meeting you’.” She was shocked by the response. So, she figured that it would not work, so she stopped talking with him.
However, it did not stop there. He kept reaching out to her multiple times despite her straightforward rejection.
Months later, he messaged her again, this time through Instagram. “It was creepy. This time, I blocked him everywhere.”
Online dating is full of surprises. Sometimes, you meet weird people.
Sneha, 24, remembers one date she wishes she’d never gone to. She decided to meet a Bumble match for a coffee.
“We met at a café. At first, he seemed quite normal. In 15 minutes, he suddenly started ranting about his ex, saying she betrayed him, ruined his life, and that he had violent thoughts.”
She laughed in disbelief. “I was terrified and confused back then. I ran out of there.”
