But ask any teenager from a conservative household—or a college student from a low-income background—and you’ll hear the same old whisper:
“We’re dating… but no one can know.”
Because love still feels dangerous. Not just emotionally—but socially, culturally, even physically.
Love Is Free—But Not for Everyone
Sure, Gen Z might be more expressive. But when it comes to who can love freely, the answers are still tangled in layers of:
Family reputation
Gender expectations
Caste and class
Community honor
For many girls, love equals risk. The consequences of being “caught” in a relationship range from public humiliation to domestic violence—or worse, being married off to stop the “shame.”
Meanwhile, boys often get more freedom, but still face judgment based on religion, caste, and economic status. A Muslim boy dating a Hindu girl? A Dalit boy texting an upper-caste girl? Even in 2025, that’s enough to start a scandal.
Love isn’t private. It’s political.
Class: Who Gets to Be in Love Without Fear?
Romantic freedom isn’t just cultural—it’s economic.
Upper-middle-class teens might sneak around with some risk, but they often have:
More privacy
Liberal parents (or at least, ones who look the other way)
Cars, phones, and spaces to meet safely
Meanwhile, a girl from a basti has none of that.
It’s not just about love—it’s about access.
Digital Dating, Real-World Danger
The phone is often the only space young couples have—but even that’s risky.
Parents scroll through messages
Cousins “snitch”
One leaked screenshot can destroy reputations
“Online dating” sounds modern, but for many young Indians, it’s a hidden operation—backed up with fake names on contacts, locked apps, and secret Instagram accounts.
So, What Needs to Change?
Love shouldn’t have to mean strategy and secrecy.
It’s time to:
Create safe spaces in schools and colleges for emotional education—not just academic pressure
Have honest conversations at home that treat girls as thinking adults
Unpack the caste, class, and gender politics that still decide who gets to love
Shift from shame to support when young people open up
In a country obsessed with love stories—from Bollywood to wedding reels—it’s ironic how actual love, especially among young people, is still shrouded in silence.
