Chennai's Youth Are Finding New Ways to Connect

Time of India

2 days ago

Girls in lehengas and boys in sherwanis dance to traditional dhols with the baraat. Some are getting mehendi done in a corner, while the others are gorging on pav bhaji, biryani and pani puri. But something is missing — a bride and groom! Because this is a '
fake sangeet
' party.
Whether it's watching the sunrise from a rooftop restaurant while being serenaded by soft music or dancing at a 'fake sangeet' with no bride or groom, Chennai is crafting new experiences for youngsters to make new friends and a space where they can find people whose interests align.
Khushi Lunkar and her friends Thavina and Misha Jain of Vivah Viral say they missed the dazzle of weddings during the off-season. 'That's when we decided to host a fake sangeet, which had food, live music, baarat, DJ, free mehendi and glitter makeup booths, and return gifts with a priced entry,' says Khushi. Tradition al Tamil weddings don't have the concept of a sangeet, but it's slowly being adopted by the uber-rich, she says. Viral Vivah is gearing up for its upcoming fake sangeet event on July 18.
Sruthii B, a fashion stylist, moved to Chennai from Madurai three years ago, but making friends was still a task. 'I began working immediately after college initially and so never had the opportunity,' she says. That changed the day she attended a party hosted by Private Society, a venture that organises close-knit private sober parties with coffee, sunrise and Afro-house music. 'The event not only made my day but also introduced me to some incredible friends. We now keep in touch through texting. I don't feel so lonely anymore,' says Sruthii.
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Richard Noel, founder of Private Society and intellectual property producer, says that having travelled all over the world, he found Chennai to have the most beautiful sunrises and wanted to create an experience around that. 'The idea is to make people connect over coffee, food, and some good music on Sundays,' he says.
Having begun in March, Private Society has organised six such events with 100 participants per event, priced at about Rs 700 per person. True to its name, participants are selected by the organisers after completing a form with details about themselves. If selected, they are informed of the location via email. As walk-ins ruin the experience, they never disclose the location. The guest list is also carefully chosen to include a blend of people from various professions, backgrounds and interests.
Offering quality time for a small group of strangers, Meet, Mingle, Play is a group that invites strangers to meet, become friends, and do activities together, such as beach visits, road trips, and café hopping, priced at Rs 150 per person.
'People come to Chennai from different places to work. I wanted to create a platform where they can be themselves and connect with like-minded people. So far, we have had sessions at beaches, cafés, a house, and even went on a trip to Tada as a group,' says Rajeswari P, founder of Meet, Mingle, Play, launched in Oct 2024.
'Those who join the event mostly have work-from-home jobs. They want to meet new people and are solely looking for
friendship
. We are not a dating platform,' she says.
For those who prefer one-on-one interaction with people, Unar Studio's art workshops offer this option. Participants are paired through emoji matching games here. 'We tell the participants to talk to everyone at the session and find one thing in common. If it matches, they are paired for the rest of the session. Meeting people can be scary, and our idea is to allow people to explore new connections while still being in their comfort zone,' says Kevin Beno, co-founder of Unar Studio.