Single, not alone

It’s that time of the year again when social media and the air is full of soppy hearticons (heart+emoticon!). Sigh! But fret not! For those who are single, and ready to mingle, or maybe not, ahead of the Valentine’s Day, the hashtag #WhyImSingle is trending, with thousands of people taking to Twitter to post the many reasons for being single — and happily so!

The apt hashtag started spreading like wildfire soon after American comedian-actor Jimmy Fallon asked people to send in “funny or embarrassing reasons” stating why they were single and accompanied by the hashtag “#WhyImSingle”. Obviously, the trend soon made its way to India and has already spread far and wide in the lovey-dovey nation.

So we too decided to ask some singles about their choice to not mingle this Valentine’s Day.

First up is emcee Zeishah Amlani, who feels that she is single because she is too strong and independent and hasn’t yet found someone who will accept her wholeheartedly. “#WhyI’msingle… Umm… because I can’t date myself! Jokes apart, I’m single because financially stable women who are ambitious are yet to be considered a ‘great catch’. I’ve often been told (rather judged) for being too strong, too independent, too loud, too open and too entertaining. Being overtly judgmental is a sad part of many relationships today. Women tend to get the shorter end of the stick and I’m not willing to settle for mediocracy. I honestly haven’t found anyone who is yet to accept me wholeheartedly. And I’m not willing to settle for less,” says Zeishah, who is also a radio presenter.

“It feels super awesome to be single on Valentine’s Day, because I don’t need to share my food with anyone”, says and elated Richa Nader who is a young graduate. Now that is something all couples would definitely relate to.

Love is not only about butterflies and mushy feelings, it is also about the fights and the heartaches and for Pravesh, being single is a bliss as he feels he’s not someone who can bear the constant bickering in a relationship. “One day I was travelling in a share cab and there was a girl who was on phone talking to someone, it was her boyfriend and they were having an argument. It was nasty and I realised that I am better off without it”, adds Pravesh Pareek, a college student.

Navya Ramanathan feels that freedom and space is often compromised while being in a relationship. “I’m not interested in being committed. Being in a relationship with someone brings constraints into the life. I have to think about my partner too before doing anything. On the contrary, being single, I can concentrate more on myself and I believe self love is very essential for good mental health”, she adds. Navya is a B.Tech student.

Actress Regina Cassandra offers another interesting reason. “I realised that everything is a phase and I am not going to rush into anything. Maybe, I need to understand myself more before I try to be with someone,” feels Regina. Young actress Raashi Khanna adds, “While it is a fact that I haven’t found anyone that I connect with, I love how being single gives me a lot of time with family. When you are in a relationship, you have to divide that time and allocate it to the partner. I don’t have that worry now!”

On the other hand, for RJ Harshit, “Love and dating nowadays are really fast-paced!”  He says, “You get to know each other, start dating and break-up all in the blink of an eye in the age of social media. I guess I’m not up to the pace, and that’s why I’m single. The best part about being single is the fact that you have the freedom to do whatever you want. With commitment comes responsibility, and I guess guys enjoy pulling each others’ legs about that, just as they tag their single friends in memes if they don’t have girlfriends.”