Forever & always – Arranged for a lifetime
This is a story of a typical Bombay Girl and a Jatt Boy from Jalandhar. It started with the usual pressure from a Punjabi family, “How long will you do PR? Where is the time for you to do pyaar?!”
With the profession that I picked, I seldom had the chance to have a normal dating life. With everyone getting married around me at a stupendous speed, the pressure was constantly increasing and I finally gave in. I told my family that since I don’t have time, please find me an eligible bachelor and that’s how my ‘arranged love story’ began!
I met (and rejected) many men until the Punjabi munda from Jalandhar walked in! He was working in Singapore and seemed OK to talk to. For some reason I confused him with a guy from Delhi and it was only after 2 weeks of chatting that I realized he is originally from Jalandhar (bang in the middle of Punjab!). Never did I think I will leave Mumbai, let alone India. And to digest the hardcore Punjabi accent (plus the cheesy pickup lines) was another thing altogether!
After 5 months of convincing, I finally agreed to meet him!
Then came the time ‘jab we met’.
Meeting 1 – Yawn…umm, he is OKAY!
Meeting 2 – A day with his family. I can’t do this!
Meeting 3 – I am going out for a walk with him and will explain this can never happen!
We stepped out for a walk when I was going to tell him that the match was not happening while our families were discussing our possible wedding inside the house. The more I said no, the more he was convinced we were meant to be. I made up all possible nasty stories about me and he did not budge. He told me to take the time and think it through…we are perfect, he insisted.
I am a hyper-dramatic person and he is happy to deal with me for the rest of his life. I asked him what will we tell our parents. He said, “Leave it to me”. That was the first time I really looked at him and I could feel the butterflies. We went in and he took it all on himself saying we need more time. I could see my family giving me looks like it was my idea. But, well, Ankur did buy us time or buy me time to be precise!
Our fourth meeting was finally a date! I was relaxed, there was no pressure and we ended up having loads of fun and clicking tonnes of selfies! Before I knew it, it was time to leave. He was going back to Singapore the next day and his parting line to my mom was, “Don’t worry aunty, she will come around and say ‘yes’ soon.”
“This time I am leaving alone but soon you will accompany me!” That were his exact parting notes to me! I must say his confidence did impress me a bit!
Well, it took him exactly 2 weeks to turn the tables! We started talking for an hour which turned to all night conversations. I developed a liking to the Punjabi accent and, yeah, the cheesy lines too! My heart fluttered every time we spoke and *wham!!!!* I lost my heart to the boy I never thought I would. Such is life, my friend, the unexpected happens. He makes me smile. He makes me feel secure. He makes me feel beautiful.
The wedding took place in Jalandhar on 26 November, 2015 and was as Punjabi as it could be! I kept threatening him that I am going to run and he kept laughing it off knowing that he has got me wrapped around his fingers now!
Happily married with the right dose of drama, Ankur and I have moved to Singapore. Looking at him everyday reassures me that I have found my ‘happy ever after’.
– As told to Manasvi Jaitly
Images: Anurag Suri
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