The Journey from Ms to Mrs
A love story that had to be told!
In India, it’s common for the family to be concerned and take action to ensure their children or siblings are happily married.
It was precisely with this intention that my brother-in-law registered his hardworking and busy brother on a matrimonial website.
I, of course, being the independent woman I was, even back then in 2004, registered on my own and started exploring the options.
So, initially, I wasn’t chatting with my spouse-to-be, but with my brother-in-law who was briefing me on my husband and the family.
It finally reached a point when I said, “When do I get to talk to the person concerned?”
I was then introduced to my now husband, and a period of getting to know each other began through emails and phone calls.
He was in Switzerland, I in Mumbai…
We spoke about ourselves and our families, we discussed the day’s events and also spoke about our value systems and career paths.
The meeting was inevitable, and so it ensued on his next visit to India. In India too, we were in different cities, he in Pune, me in Mumbai.
It’s generally a tradition for the boy to come to the girl’s city and meet her and the family.
But the curious me wanted to see and know things for myself.
It may have been a tad too modern for the girl to make the first step, but that was me!
I took a 3-hour train ride to Pune and decided to meet the guy I was chatting with and his family. In Pune, we all met, and everyone liked what they saw. This was followed by him visiting my family in Mumbai.
Little did we know things would take a different turn this time round.
My father was weary about NRI grooms, who often came to India, married in a hurry, and then a whole different picture emerged later.
He was being cautious and protective like any father, while the groom-to-be was in a hurry to marry and return to his country.
I too was in the midst of a flourishing career, and leaving India for a life I couldn’t envision in Switzerland, led to a sweet and friendly romance being put on the back burner.
In the meanwhile, life happened.
I pursued my dreams in India; he fulfilled his dreams and those of his family, and resumed life in another country.
Cut to 2021
After 17 years of no communication and knowledge of where the other was, I got a random message on Facebook.
He wished to connect on a call and catch up. And, so we did…at midnight on a lonely winter night amid the nationwide lockdown.
We chatted for long, capturing our 17 years apart…
As briefly as we could, still covering all the details, and not forgetting to share our current views on life, love and marriage.
He had now relocated to Pune, and left Switzerland for good. He seemed closer to home…not so far away, and the move more doable.
In our hearts and minds, we were already reunited.
The flame of love was rekindled.
Our first meeting after 17 years took place on 20th February, 2021, with face masks and excessive sanitisation.
Restaurants had begun to reopen…We chose a place near my home, and there the romance started all over again.
Thoughts were exchanged, dreams were revisited, plans that didn’t happen but could still materialise, were discussed.
We picked up from where we had left off.
The courting began, and weekend after weekend he drove to Mumbai so we could spend time together.
After a month or so, we met the parents again. This time with everyone on the same page… In fact, more receptive and willing to give the rekindled dream the direction it deserved!
The marriage was soon announced…
Amid the tight state lockdowns organising any event seemed improbable. But, with help from friends and family, and several acquaintances who pulled strings and worked behind the scenes, we managed to pull it off!
And what a wedding it was!
Witnessed by 25 (as per the government mandate) in a regal setting at Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace and Towers, but more importantly watched and blessed by many across India and the world on what has now become an integral tool of our lives — Zoom!
I cannot thank my loved ones enough.
They have stood by me and never given up on me — in life or while planning my wedding.
More importantly, I cannot thank my husband enough for reaching out to me after so many years, and bringing with him all the conviction and love into my life when he returned.
The ‘happily ever after’ has just begun to this fairy-tale romance.
Each day feels like a new one as we discover each other, and navigate our way through life’s small and big issues.
Undoubtedly, the greatest joy in a marriage is the companionship, and the fact that you now have a partner to figure out things with, and are no longer groping in the dark alone!
I write this story not just to tell you how I moved from Ms to Mrs…
But, to tell every man or woman who seeks love, to hold on to that dream and not give up on it.
If you desire to have someone in your life, know that the possibility always exists, and it’s perhaps closer than you think.
Every individual has a love story with a happy ending, but for it to play out, you have to simply believe and follow the signs!
So, dream, believe, hope and pray…everlasting love is sometimes just a click away!
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