The idea of dating and love has changed dramatically, with a discernible shift towards materialism and financial demands. For some, what was formerly primarily focused on compatibility, emotional connection, and shared ideals has morphed into material desires. Men’s rights campaigner Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj used screenshots of a man and woman’s WhatsApp chats. The woman twice sought money from the man to start a conversation about Indian dating customs.
WhatsApp screenshots spark debate on money and dating norms in India
By posting graphic WhatsApp images, men’s rights advocate Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj has sparked a discussion about dating standards in India. Conversations between a man and a woman were captured in these screenshots, showing requests for money related to their planned meet-up.
The woman requested ₹10,000 in advance from the man to pay costs such as clothes, makeup, manicures, and waxing before they agreed to meet for coffee in their first conversation. She used the argument that free dates were boring in the present era to support her request. By presenting her UPI ID, she created a precedent highlighting how dating changes.
In another screenshot, the same woman approached the man for financial assistance after her spending spree in the Noida Mall
The same woman approached the man for financial help once more in another screenshot, asking for ₹5,000 to ₹6,000 after going over budget at the Mall of India in Noida. According to the screenshot, the man inquired about her purchases. She spoke of clothing and shoes.
The woman admitted that her bank balance had fallen to ₹800 when asked if she needed extra money, saying that she needed it to pay for her commute until her next paycheck. This was added to the screenshots that Bhardwaj posted, which in turn caused others to consider how dating dynamics in the modern world are increasingly influenced by financial factors.
Here have a look at the shared screenshot which hid the name of the woman
With a strong message, Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj posted the screenshot to X, the platform that was formerly known as Twitter. As we paraphrase, she wrote in the caption:
“Dating in India ain’t for beginners….”
Check out the post,
The screenshots that men’s rights activist Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj posted on social networking platform X have undoubtedly caused a stir and have received over 1.5 lakh views. A variety of opinions have been voiced by commentators, expressing ingrained worries about how money and relationships interact in contemporary dating.
CA Ankit, an X user, pointed out what she saw as a disparity in expectations by writing that many males were willing to take on such financial loads. Several people expressed their thoughts, pointing out that these interactions resemble business transactions rather than sincere dating.
According to one commenter, the case highlighted a worrying trend in which women may take advantage of lonely or defenceless men for their financial gain. One user even went so far as to call such exchanges “begging” and reject the idea that they qualify as dating.
