JOIN USAfter his divorce, plagued by a constant fear of being judged, Mayank Jain started drifting towards a solitary lifestyle. But three months in to this “sad phase” he decided to start afresh, and began looking for a perfect life partner yet again. However, this time too, luck was not by his side and things did not work out.
“Shattered by the process and losing my special friend, who I could call up and share my thoughts, who was there for me; I hit this abyss of loneliness once again. But this time I overcame my fears and promised myself that no matter what, I will never be lonely in life. And when I choose to get married, it will not be to get over my loneliness; it will only be when I have someone I cannot live without. And that marked a new beginning, a new chapter in my life — the initiation of Happy Tribe,” he says.
Started in March 2014, Happy Tribe is a platform where anyone who has had a similar past, is suffering from a separation or a divorce can come together and meet others in a healthy environment, without the fear of being judged. While anyone can seek membership by sending a request on their website, it is granted only after verification.
“The idea is to offer these people a way to get back their social life and to be seen as who they are as individuals. It is for people who would not judge each other, because they know what it feels to be judged,” Jain tells Metrolife.
He, however, quickly adds that the platform is not at all about “dating, matrimony or sharing sob stories”. “What it is about”, he says, “is helping people out in groups, meet new people, connect and learn from each other that separation is not the end of the world. Help them connect with new people, enhance their social life in the process and move on.”
Open only to divorced, separated and widowers, Happy Tribe organises weekly events that include coffee meets, parties, picnics, group travels, movies and theatre, along with self-discovery sessions for people to share their experiences and thoughts on a pre-decided topic.
“These are the kind of events we organise, but once people have connected with each other, they do make many plans by themselves. These events are organised at public places, restaurants and cafes. The idea has been received amazingly well. The first event was attended by 18 people, and there has been no looking back since then,” he says, adding that they have more than 600 people associated with them.
Talking about the challenges, Jain says that while the society associates a lot of stereotypes with those who have been separated or widowed, their biggest struggle is to convince people that they are not a dating platform. “That is because people find it difficult to accept that a room full of divorced people can be so much fun, that this could actually be a place where people do not share sob stories or discuss their past,” he says.