Ritu Bhatia set out to find one suitable man and ended up finding many unsuitable ones. Along the way she did find something far more valuable, a sense of her own self. In the following excerpt from her book Manspotting, the cafés of Delhi provide the stage for the auditions for midlife romance.
The Barista experience was far more energizing: the cafes were modern and aromatic from the fresh coffee that hissed out of coffee machines. Sipping a cappuccino or latte between buttery bites of a croissant was a divine experience, which I couldn't get enough of.
"Let's have coffee," I'd say, to some of the more interesting men I encountered at workplaces, friends' houses, book launches, art exhibitions and parties. They varied in appearance, ages and professions. Some had no hair, and others had too much. There were bachelors, divorcees and even a few widowers. We split the bill, except in one instance when the chap sat back and let me pay, claiming to be a feminist.
I tried to stick to one cup of coffee per meeting (since more than this made me jumpy) and had to curb my instinct to ask probing, interview-style questions: which school did you go to? What does your mother/father/brother do? What's your worst fear? I was careful to avoid bringing up religion, politics and personal philosophy too.