Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Mutual respect, understanding, common interests and of course, love have brought these four couples together. Some of them have been married for three decades. On the occasion of Valentine’s Day, Free Press spoke to a few couples to know what drew them to each other and how they became life partners. Excerpts:
Kahkasha Saxena with Ashish |
Friends then, friends now
We’re married for 30 years now. We were neighbours in Delhi. Ashish’s mother was a Christian, his father was a Hindu. My family was Muslim. When we first met, Ashish was in class 10 and I was in 9th. Some years later, my father was transferred to another city. As we were leaving, Ashish penned his feelings for me in my autograph book. I didn’t reply. It was four years later that his parents came to our place on Eid and sought my hand for their son. My parents gave consent. We were friends then and we are friends now. On V-Day, we spend quality time with each other.
- Kahkasha Saxena, tarot card reader
Bandna Kumari with Dharmendra |
Were not lovers
We were batchmates in an arts college in Patna. We had no time for love. We focused on our careers. After college, I moved to Bhopal and Dharmendra shifted to Delhi. Parents started looking for groom for me. They wanted a government-officer as son-in-law. It was then that some of our seniors told my parents about our bonding. He proposed to me and we got married five years later. We were never lovers, only good friends. After marriage, he presented chocolates and greetings cards to me on the day. We have been married for eight years now.
- Bandna Kumari, artiste
Kumud Singh with Sunil |
Giving space
Sunil was a theatre artiste and I was a college student. A play, in which he was directing, was to be staged and I was fit for a character. I was approached to play the role and I agreed. Both of us worked in Peace and Solidarity Organisation. One day, I recited a poem on Nelson Mandela, which impressed him. During our meetings, we never talked about love. We discussed political, social issues. It was Sunil who proposed. We faced opposition from our families. Our marriage is 33 years old. He is religious, I am an atheist. But we never impose our thoughts on each other. We give space to each other.
- Kumud Singh, social activist
Govind Vishwas with Poonam |
Being supportive
I was studying in an arts college in Vadodara and used to come to Bhopal during the summer vacations to work at graphics studio of Bharat Bhavan to earn some money. It was at the studio that I met Poonam. She was a Jain and I was a Bengali. Our families were not ready for marriage. We married at an Arya Samaj temple and left for Delhi without telling anyone. For six months, we lived like nomads, changing SIMs, houses to avoid being traced. Later, our parents accepted us. We support each other. When she works, I look after household chores and vice-versa.
- Govind Vishwas, painter
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