Illustrated Indian Tinder stories: swipe right to have your own!
Stories of love, whether colourful, funny or at times, creepy, are easily found on the Internet. Indu Harikumar, a Mumbai-based artist and children’s book illustrator, is adding to the collection through her project titled 100 Indian Tinder Tales.
After learning of the #100dayproject from a friend, Harikumar decided to start her own series, choosing to focus on Tinder (as it was the only dating app she had used) to curate stories and illustrate them. She put out a call on Facebook for stories about Tinder, and was soon flooded with personal tales of romance, bitterness, sex, misogyny and love from people around the country.
“To be honest, I never thought it would take off, or that I would hear from random people about their experiences” she says. “The reason being – why would anyone want to be vulnerable to a stranger? But I was surprised and happy to be proven wrong.”
The stories are funny, refreshing and poignant in turn. There’s a tragic tale in which a girl from Mumbai finds a kindred spirit in a boy from Delhi but before they can meet, he passes away in an accident; in another, a Tinder newbie shares his funny story of how he learnt to sell himself like a tampon to the ladies on the app. “One of my favourite things to have come from the project was a marriage!” says Indu. “Two people commented on a story, they met and after six months, they got married. I was the guest of honour at their wedding.”
A post shared by Indu Harikumar (@induviduality) on
Harikumar’s illustrations are inspired by her favourite artists, including Edward Munch, Katsushika Hokusai and Roy Lichtenstein which she adapts for each story.
100 Indian Tinder Tales offers an intriguing insight into shifting sexual modes in the country, challenging prejudices and inspiring discussions about why and how we should be addressing sex and intimacy – traditional taboo topics – in a modern context.
To read the stories or to contribute your own, check out 100 Indian Tinder Tales on Facebook or Instagram now.
Thanks, great article.