The World Health Organisation says one in six people around the world are struggling with loneliness — a statistic that includes not just the elderly, but young adults and working professionals too. In metropolises like Gurugram and Delhi, where socialising often denotes pubs and parties, loneliness tends to show up more quietly: long workdays, dinners alone, and solitary lives far from home.
But this Gurugram youth and her dog are making a difference in an attempt to tackle isolation in the big city — starting with her own living room. Kainat Ahmed, an advisory consultant, moved to NCR in mid-2021, amid peak pandemic chaos, leaving behind the bustling city of Mumbai. “I didn’t know anyone. I was also working remotely, so I didn’t have colleagues to hang out with,” she says.
At the time of her move, Ahmed says it wasn’t just about feeling out of place — it was the deeper feeling of not belonging anywhere. “Feeling out of place assumes you belong somewhere — or could,” she says. “But I didn’t feel like Gurugram was my place at all.” In Mumbai, although alone, she had friends and colleagues. Ahmed took matters into her own hands.
In 2022, she began Stray Souls in the City — opening up her home to fellow stray souls who felt the same isolation she once did, to share food, time, and quiet conversation. She began by inviting people through Instagram, and the meetups quickly took off through word of mouth. Today, alongside her full-time job, Ahmed curates the meetups with her indie dog, Livie — hosting weekly or biweekly gatherings that range from FRIENDS trivia nights and ’90s throwbacks to Schitt’s Creek-style murder mysteries.
Her space stands apart from other community-based initiatives in NCR because it isn’t built around a specific hobby — like knitting, reading, or board games — or curated experiences like supper clubs. Instead, it’s for those who simply want to get to know fellow Delhiites, without the pressure of performing interest or expertise. “I always say I don’t like meeting new people — I like knowing people,” Ahmed says.
Home magic
Ahmed, who’s always enjoyed hosting, initially wasn’t sure where to bring people together — until she tried hosting at home. The idea quickly caught on, thanks to how warmly her guests received it. She’s not a fan of loud parties — and prefers not to call these meetups “parties” at all. “The idea is to actually talk to each other — not just sit around drinking or listening to music,” she explains.
She says that with home meetups, guests tend to feel far more at ease. “There’s something about sitting around a coffee table in someone’s living room that softens people in a way cafés or restaurants can’t,” she says. Hosting at home also gives her the freedom to shape the experience — from choosing the kind of food she serves to planning activities, or icebreakers.
Over the past year, Ahmed has also begun hosting occasional brunch meetups at cafés — but she’s particular about avoiding noisy places in favour of cafés with light music and warm ambience. “I keep outdoor meetups to brunch hours — the music’s softer, the crowd more relaxed. It filters out the party vibe.” But even then, she says, her guests often prefer the home meetups.
Invite only
Entry to Stray Souls in the City meetups isn’t open to just anyone. “I get very picky when it comes to extending invites,” admits Ahmed. She follows a careful vetting process to ensure each guest feels safe — especially in a city that often doesn’t.
Her criteria: white-collar professionals who’ve moved to the city in the past two years, live away from home, and don’t yet have a strong social circle. Each guest fills out a form with personal details and LinkedIn profile. From there, she hand- selects 8 guests, sometimes 10 to 12 — for a fee that goes toward curating the evenings — from diverse professions, age groups, and backgrounds to create a room where no one feels out of place.
“We’ve had therapists, marketers, poker players, startup people, and civil servants,” she says. “When you bring in people from different walks of life, the conversation doesn’t stay surface-level — it becomes about learning, listening, just being curious again.”
Now, thanks to Stray Souls, she’s built a close circle of friends and no longer feels like a stray herself. And for many who’ve attended, it’s been the start of that feeling too. Hosting strangers, curating energy, planning food and games — she’s built a quiet community for those who arrive in the city with packed bags and open hearts, searching for belonging. It’s worth it, she says, when someone walks away feeling less alone.