By Pranjali Wakde
The word ‘Dating’ has so many connotations for different people that it is next to impossible to fit it into a specific denotation. Simply speaking though, dating is where two people come together and decide whether the person is suitable to spend your whole life with. And yet, it is not as simple as it seems – dating comes with its own set of problems that one has to overcome to have a successful and happy love life. People, especially those who don’t know how to express themselves, usually find these problems overwhelming and wish there would be a guide to help them.
Well, that wish has been granted by the amazing Anushka Mehta on the 4th of June! The book, ‘Datebook’ is a comprehensive guide on dating, covering everything you’d need to know before plunging into the dating world. There are as many as eighteen articles, shedding light on topics such as how the concept of dating has changed, the role of social media in dating, sexual identities, how carefully should cheating be dealt with – and a whole lot more! The narrative gets important leverage from the foreword, which expounds the book’s underlying message in every line, including this one –
“There are no guarantees in the world of relationships but using the tricks and techniques shared within, you can draw closer to building healthy and long term relationships, thereby throwing toxicity and negativity out of the window.”
The world has moved on from courtship and stopping at modern-age dating, evolving the ways people find their potential partners. It is perfectly clear that the author has done some thorough research and poured her hearty perceptions out in between the lines of the book. Not many have the guts to be unabashedly honest and appealingly straightforward when it comes to writing about dating, relationships and sensual topics; but apparently, Anushka doesn’t fit in this category. Her raw thoughts appear on our screens in articulated writing, which is just a pleasure to read.
Some of the most amazing articles I read in the Datebook are ‘The Age of New Sexual Identities’, ‘What is Gaslighting and How it Works’ and ‘What are Open Relationships in the modern-day Dating World’. The Age of New Sexual Identities focuses on the different sexual identities that people categorize themselves in. It describes the terms such as Pansexual, Demi Sexual and Sapiosexual, among others, in a way you’d understand completely. As for What is Gaslighting and How it works, it talks about how gaslighting works. It is a delicate concept, which requires equally careful handling – and Anushka just nails it! The last one in the guide, What are Open Relationships in the Modern-day dating world, is a crystal-clear, precise write-up on what open relationships are, how they work and why they are in trend, especially in the modern-day dating world.
A dating manual was long overdue, especially since the entire world has gone digital. Datebook, in this way, came at exactly the right time and blessed us with valuable tips and insights, something which most of us would be desperately searching for. And what’s more, you can complete the guide in one sitting! I don’t know how Anushka managed to produce such a must-read, raw yet beautiful guide on dating, but I am fiercely glad for Datebook.