Digital romance in the Indian city

Abstract

The Indian city is no Paris. Far from being a city of love, it spells of crowds, chaos and confusion. Within desperately strained urban infrastructures lie grey zones, grey markets, and grey practices. In Mumbai alone, the most populous city in India of 30 million, more than half of its population lives in grey zones such as slums, with speculation that by 2025, they will pervade much of Mumbai’s urban landscape1. Characteristic of slums are inhabitants sharing small spaces but paradoxically, such forced intimacies come with major social distance architected by caste, class, gender norms and even the color of one’s skin. In a contemporary urban culture where arranged marriages still dictate one’s social life and being ‘fair and lovely’ is a ticket to social mobility, the city can serve as a traditional and chronic entrapment.