Bored in Jaipur, OkCredit CEO posted an Instagram story, met strangers. His experience is viral: '10/10'

In an age where loneliness often hides behind digital connections, one Bengaluru-based startup founder chose to meet it head-on—with a simple Instagram story and a willingness to be “a little shameless.”

Harsh Pokharna, CEO of the fintech company OkCredit, was back in his hometown of Jaipur for a month-and-a-half when, despite being surrounded by family, he found himself feeling bored. Seeking meaningful interaction and something beyond routine catch-ups, Pokharna took an unusual step: he posted a story on Instagram saying he was “open to meeting people in Jaipur.”

What followed, he said, was a social experiment that turned his trip into a lively and unexpectedly fulfilling chapter. The post opened the floodgates. “Suddenly, I was out almost every day, meeting strangers, old friends and people from DMs,” Pokharna wrote on Instagram, sharing a collage of photos from these meetups.

“Came home to Jaipur for 1.5 months. Parents were happy. I was kind of bored. So I ran a little social experiment,” the OkCredit founder wrote. “Posted a story saying ‘open to meeting people in Jaipur.’ Basically a friendship Bumble for my hometown.”

He added: “Some conversations were deep. Some were just dumb and fun. None were boring. We talked about life, work, breakups, therapy, food, startups, dating apps and random ideas. Not sure what this phase was, but it was wholesome AF. 10/10 recommend being a little shameless on IG.”