Dating might look fun for everybody else, but in reality, it’s tough for pretty much everyone regardless of gender or sexual orientation. But when you’re part of the queer community in India, you also face a unique set of challenges on top of the nervousness that comes with putting yourself out there. In this episode, we chat to influencer, writer and renaissance-man Aniruddha Mahale about dating myths, finding community, and owning your desires. Show notes: Evelyn Sharma's Instagram:...

As just about anyone who has ever been in love knows, heartbreak hurts. A lot. But it can also help you grow, if you really take the time to process the pain. In this episode, psychiatrist and author Dr. Shyam Bhat talks to Evelyn about what happens when your heart breaks, and how you can emerge from the experience a stronger and more empathetic person. Show notes: Evelyn Sharma's Instagram Shyam Bhat’s Instagram Produced by: Axel Scheele, Sally McGrane Research & guest acquisition:...

What do you do when you fall for someone who really fits the bill, but comes from a whole different part of the world? How do you decide where and how to live together? In this episode, Evelyn, who is German-Indian, talks to French-Indian actress Kalki Koechlin about the highs and lows of merging different cultures, traditions, dreams and languages to make love work with their international partners. Show notes: Evelyn Sharma's Instagram Kalki Koechlin’s Instagram Produced by: Jennifer...

We all spend a lot of time at work. So it’s not inconceivable that, if you’re single, you might just find yourself having feelings for a colleague. This can be tricky terrain, as corporate inclusion expert Pallavi Pareek explains. From how an office flirt could affect your career to when it’s time to talk to HR, this episode helps us understand how we can make romance work, at work – and when it might be better just to walk away. Show notes: Ungender: https://www.ungender.in/ Evelyn...

While the Love Matters team takes a short break at the end of the year, we’re playing one of our favorite episodes from Season 1 about the controversial topic of interfaith relationships in India. Such unions are rare: Less than 2% of couples who tie the knot are from interfaith backgrounds. Inter-religious relationships are often shunned, and those who are vocal about celebrating their love publicly can face a backlash. Evelyn speaks to actor Shruti Seth and her director husband Danish...

If it's not bringing in the money, lifting heavy things and never shedding a tear, what does it mean to be a 'man' in India today? For many men, this is an increasingly hard question to answer. As we move away from the harmful gender stereotypes that restrict what girls and women can and cannot do, more and more men are realizing that they too suffer from patriarchal ideas about how they should lead their lives. In this episode, Evelyn chats to writer and creator of the 'Boyish' newsletter...

What’s life like in a ‘throuple’? That’s just one of the questions this episode dedicated to polyamory explores. Our guests Tanisha RK and Shweta Sangtani are in a committed relationship with each other and a third partner—who they also run a business with. They open up about common misconceptions -- like the idea that a polyamorous relationship involves less commitment than a monogamous one. They also share some of the best parts about being poly, which for them includes a focus on...

In our first new episode since Love Matters' return, we dive into dating as a 20-something-year-old in India. There are a lot of assumptions out there about how young people are lovin' up on each other in today's era of hyperconnectivity and mobility. That they don't know how to meet people in person anymore, aren't serious about love and expect too much are just a few. So why not ask a couple of them what it's actually like and whether there's any truth to these notions? In this episode,...

What's it like being in a polyamorous relationship? How can you make your international love story last? What are some dating red flags to look out for? Love Matters with Evelyn Sharma is here to help you navigate the ups and downs of love — with the help of celebrities, experts, influencers and friends. Bollywood actress, entrepreneur, and new mother Evelyn Sharma talks matters of the heart with fabulous guests, who open up about their relationship experiences and share their insights...

In the season finale of Love Matters, we return to the controversial topic of interfaith relationships in India. Such unions are rare: Less than 2% of couples who tie the knot are from interfaith backgrounds. Inter-religious relationships are often shunned, and those who are vocal about celebrating their love publicly can face a backlash — like our listener this week, Krutika Lele. Krutika is Hindu and her husband Tamir is Muslim and they're in a band called Interfaith. The musician says they...

Dating, relationships and finding love can be tough. But people with disabilities (PWDs) have their own set of challenges when trying to couple up. A lack of accessible spaces, as well as judgement and stereotyping from potential partners, strangers and friends, are just some of the obstacles India's 26.8 million disabled people face. That includes our listener Shagunn Pathak. Shagunn wants to date and find love like her peers but finds herself being labelled as needy or desperate just...

Slim, hairless, flawlessly fair-skinned, cellulite and blemish-free — beauty standards upheld in the media are downright unrealistic. And harmful. Three in four women find the way the media portrays beauty promotes body shaming. At the same time, India's beauty and wellness markets are growing 18% year on year, around twice as fast as in the US and Europe. Tired of being made to feel unlovable because of their appearance, many people are embracing body positivity — the idea that all bodies...

More single women are living independently in India today than ever before. Many are choosing to be alone not because they cannot find a partner, but because they have found fulfillment outside a romantic partnership and marriage. They're prioritizing a relationship with themselves. In this episode, we hear from a listener who feels singlehood is the best choice for her well-being but she is still struggling with societal pressure to partner up. How can she accept herself and her decision if...

Women face enormous pressure to not only raise their children to be the best they can be and run their homes smoothly, but also to stay on top of their careers as if they had never given birth. Between these demands, many grapple with feelings of guilt about going back to work post-pregnancy and find there’s a lack of workplace support. Some two thirds of working women in India struggle to resume their careers after starting a family. In this episode, we hear from Pooja, a mother of two...

In this episode, the Love Matters team tell you all about the making of this podcast series on love and relationships. From how the DW and Indian Express collaboration came to be and how we worked together to bridge the culture gap to how we handle sensitive issues, we discuss it all and everything in between. Tune in.

Although, the right to practice any religion is enshrined in the Indian constitution and the Special Marriage Act allows it, marriages between people of different faiths are rare and often shunned. In fact, less than 2% of marriages in India are interfaith. In this episode, we hear from Alina, born of an interfaith marriage herself, who is juggling the different expectations of her Muslim father and Hindu mother as she dates, while also dealing with judgement from wider society. For guidance...

In this episode, we hear from listener Kheyali, who is struggling with wearing the "divorcee" label as a young woman in India. The divorce rate may have doubled in the country over the past two decades but at around 1%, it's still very low – and widely frowned upon. Women bear the brunt of society's judgement. They're most often blamed for marriage breakdowns and find themselves penalized for being without a husband even in seemingly simple things like trying to get their own apartment....

This week we hear from a listener struggling with feelings of shame about his sexuality because of society’s narrow and degrading views on homosexuality. While India overturned the colonial-era law that made same-sex relations illegal in 2018, discrimination against members of the LGBTQ+ community is rampant in the country, and acceptance is a long way ahead. So, in this episode, drag artist and LGTBTQ+ activist Sushant Divgikar joins Evelyn Sharma to give some heartfelt advice to our...

Our listener has an awkward moment after her mom finds the morning after pill in her bag. She also wonders how to reassure her boyfriend she's having a good time in bed. In this episode, Evelyn Sharma speaks to sex positivity influencer Leeza Mangaldas to get advice for our listener. Leeza, a popular sex-positivity influencer on Instagram, answers questions on everything from female pleasure to safe sex. Her aim is to normalize conversations around sex and Evelyn and Leeza don't shy away from...

How do I keep my relationship going when I'm thousands of miles from my boyfriend? How do we communicate and trust each other? Gauri, a 22 year-old student from Bangalore sent us these questions and in this episode, we tried to help her find answers. Listen to host Evelyn Sharma as she speaks to her friends Benny Dayal, the playback singer, and Cathy, his entrepreneur wife, about dealing with the challenges of a long-distance relationship. The couple let us in on the secrets of how they make...

Want to talk about sex openly? Are you figuring out how to be happily single? Or are you at odds with your family over your partner choice? Love Matters is here to help you navigate the ups and downs of love — with the help of celebrity guests and influencers! Each week, Bollywood actress, entrepreneur, mother and wife Evelyn Sharma hears from a listener with a relationship challenge and speaks to well-known Indians, who open up about their own experiences of love. The podcast provides...