“It was the 12th of March, 1993 when the serial bomb blasts in Bombay took place. Out of the 13 bombs that went off, one was in my area of work and the other was in the Stock Exchange where my father worked. Desperate to reach me, Praveen tried everything, but all telephone lines had been suspended. Being in a different city and unable to contact each other during that time was horrible for both of us, but it only went to show how much we cared for each other. Fortunately, we were all unharmed, and we were married only nine months later!

How did we meet? That’s a funny story. His brother is married to my sister, so we’ve sort of grown up together. We’d spend summer vacations together, take family trips together and play a lot of lagori. As time went by, our fondness for each other couldn’t go unacknowledged and he finally asked me out. We kept it a secret for a while, and then confessed to our siblings who just said “Did you think it wasn’t obvious?”. We genuinely thought we were being so stealthy!

Back in the day, we’d have to go to STD/PCO booths because we couldn’t talk openly on our dial ups at home. I’d wait by the landline at around midnight waiting for his call so the ringing wouldn’t wake my parents up. This went on for ages! He was working in Aurangabad at the time, and I was in Mumbai. In fact, we lived apart for a whole year after we got married. We got to meet only every couple of months, but by the time we both managed to land jobs in Ahmedabad, I was pregnant with our wonderful daughter. Two years later, we had our son. I honestly believe that phase of life taught us so much. From financial lows to the earthquakes to the riots, we saw it all! It only brought us closer together as a family.

Things have gone in different directions since then. From moving to Bangalore and then here to Hyderabad, Praveen has insisted that if we move, we move as a family. He didn’t want us to be apart ever again, and it was the best decision we could have made. He always believed that whatever happens will happen for the best, and the best is for us to be together, always.”