Darshan didn’t know what to expect when he first signed up on Aisle in August 2018. He connected with few members on the app, but none struck a chord. That’s when he came across Kavita’s profile. “I had texted her at night and she responded back the next day morning. I was coincidentally on the app at the time, so I replied immediately. She was surprised to find me online and thought maybe I was there waiting for her reply” Darshan adds.
A few hours later during their conversation, Darshan shared the link to his Facebook profile. “I had to wait for 10–15 minutes before she sent me hers. I think she must have gone and checked my profile to make sure I was legit” he jokes. “In no time, we could feel that we understood each other. We spoke about our families, our past experiences, our career goals and found many things to be similar. We both want to be entrepreneurs. We are the eldest child. So we had that comfort level with each other.”
A few days later on a call, Kavita admitted that she was beginning to like him. Though it was very unlikely of him, Darshan asked her if he could think over before making a decision. “It was the first time that someone expressed their feelings to me with so much purity and passion. I could tell it was different, it was one of a kind. I wanted time to think about it. It was a huge decision after all. It was already past midnight, so we ended the call the way we usually do. But soon I started thinking, what if I don’t call her back, she’d think that I am uninterested. What if I lose her? I definitely didn’t want that to happen! At 2am, I gave her a call back and told her that I too feel the same and wanted to take things forward.”
When asked about their first date Darshan recalls, “A month after our online journey we finally met offline at this cafe called Love & Latte. I reached half an hour early and she reached on the dot. It was nice to finally meet each other. We decided to keep meeting during weekends. My work timings were erratic and she being in the IT sector, she also had hectic hours. Besides, she stayed in Kalyan and I in Santa Cruz. Our flats were exactly 50kms away from each other.”
In December, Darshan visited Kalyan for a family function. After dropping his mother and sister at the venue, he decided to visit Kavita. “I had gone there with the sole intention of asking her hand in marriage and to clarify any questions her mom might have about me or my family. Her mom didn’t have many questions, but was happy to know about the commitment I had towards her daughter” Darshan adds. “A week down the line I told my mom about her. I showed her Kavita’s photo and said, this is your future daughter-in-law and when the time is right you will meet her.”
In January, Darshan along with his mother and sister visited Kavita’s family. “I thought there will be a heavy grilling session, but it all went down smoothly. My mom was very happy to meet Kavita and we decided to have the engagement on 19th May” he says. “The wedding will be on the 23rd of November, in Thane. That’s midway again and is convenient for people attending the wedding from either side.”
“We used to talk about what our future startup would be about during our dates. Since we both are foodies, we decided that should be our focus. Kavita is stepping down from her company and will be focussing on the startup. Soon after the wedding and vacations, we would start working full-fledged on that. Though she would take the lead, it’s a shared dream. Once we have a business model stabilised, I will also join her” Darshan adds.
Aisle wishes Kavita and Darshan a lifetime of happiness together.
