Ritika Bajaj rounds up some 20-somethings and gets us the dope on what they want in a relationship.
You've just started a job and feel like quitting it. You meet new guys/gals every day, but they just don’t seem like the ones you want to talk to for hours on the phone. You just don’t seem to know what is right for you. Is it the age or is it just you? You keep asking yourself.
Well, we found that while a lot of you young swingers out there are willing to go with the flow for a bit — as 22-year-old Raksha Shetty says, “As long as I don’t think about the future, I’m happy” — most of you have a definite ‘list’ when it comes to a partner — whether long or short-term.
And their dreams and aspirations are not just driven by success and money. They also include finding that dream person or companion. While Raksha, who works at the editorial desk at Mid-Day in Mumbai, does not look for long-lasting relationships and intense love, still others like 23-year-old Yogesh Karande, an MCom student, look for a relationship that leads to marriage.
Both girls and guys in this age group have different ideas about what they want in the opposite sex. Let’s see what they’re looking for:
On the girls’ team, we have Raksha, 25-year old Rima Khanna and 21-year-old Roohi Sayed both from O&M, and Shabana Khan, a 24-year-old science graduate.
Representing male interests on this mission are Yogesh, 23-year-old Amit Kalro, project head at O&M, 24-year-old entre-preneur Chandan Kamra, and Vipurva Parikh, a 23-year-old engineering student.
What do you want in your dream person?
Girls: The unanimous vote was: “Someone intelligent, funny, honest and trustworthy.” Shabana Khan adds, “I just want him to be loving and understanding.” (These traits in a guy? Oh well, always possible, we guess!)
Guys: “She should be smart, have a good sense of humour, be independent and have an awareness of the outside world. She should also be sexy, friendly, good looking, good-natured” — whew!! And Yogesh adds, “She should give me enough freedom and have no objections when I am out all night.” Hello?? What do we have here?
What’s a complete turn-off?
Girls: “Bad manners like digging their nose in front of us, biting their nails, chewing their food loudly, burping, bad body odour, arrogance and dishonesty.” Hmm... looks like some serious grooming will be required before a lot of guys try and chat up these gals. Raksha doesn’t like guys “who don’t have good manners, like, for instance, opening the door for a girl. Moreover, he should not be conscious of it; it should be natural.”
Guys: Vipurva said, “I can’t stand unwaxed hands or facial hair.” (wonder who his last date was, and whether the last date happened on a full moon!). This was echoed by the rest, but Chandan Kamra also adds, “She should not be dumb.” Whoa!
What is a definite no-no?
Girls: Roohi said, “He shouldn’t be dominating, and imposing, he should also not be a womaniser.” The other girls didn’t want men who would take them for granted. Said Raksha, “The guy also shouldn’t have a low IQ.” Hey Einstein, where are you?
Guys: They didn’t want a girl who was bitchy. Being too possessive and too provocative were also no-nos. Vipurva was emphatic that “The girl definitely shouldn’t be fake and superficial.”


Are Looks Important?