The State We're In, 13 February 2010. Love stories: how having an arranged marriage still isn’t a ticket out of dating hell and how one octogenarian in Mumbai is helping disabled people there hear wedding bells.

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Loves me, loves me not
Some people turn to Richard Martinez to find out how true their “true love” really is. He’s a honey trap specialist. For a fee, he’ll arrange to have your romantic partner tested by a potential paramour. Who fails more: men or women? Listen to Jonathan’s interview with him and find out.

Loving letters
Samara O’Shea writes love letters for other people. And not just for Valentine’s Day – anytime. She tells Jonathan how a single letter can change a love life forever.
Link: Letterlover website.

Arranged dating hell
Karishma Shah is 27, well-educated and single. After years of dating the men she wanted to, she finally gave in and started going on dates arranged by her parents. Yet they’ve all been disasters. But as she tells Jonathan, she still believes that Mr Right is out there.

India’s yenta
Being disabled in India can mean a life of loneliness. But 81-year-old Prabha Panse in Mumbai has been helping disabled men and women meet each other for twenty years. Her record: over 500 marriages, all still intact, and she still giggles with excitement talking about her job.

Love in the fast lane
Ten years ago, producer Chris Chambers came to Amsterdam with conventional views of love and sex. Then he bought some black latex underwear with a red racing stripe and started going to sex parties. Now he’s after candlelight and happily ever after. He explains the evolution.

Listener response
Brooke Cheshier Butler heard our interview with a woman who decided to get pregnant, even though she was HIV positive. Brooke tells Jonathan about her own decision to have children, knowing they were likely to be born with a debilitating condition.