Devi & Col (retd) A.K. Mitra
Block: Mahabir Vikas
Married for: 48 years
How they met:
She: “I lived in Kurseong with my family and my husband was posted in Siliguri at that time. He was a distant friend of my uncle’s and I met him when he came to my house once.
Who took the first step:
She: A month after meeting me he proposed. This was shortly after the Indo-Pak war and I was full of respect for army men but still, I wanted to get to know him better before saying yes. So for the next eight months he would come to visit me twice a week on the pretext of meeting my uncle.
Hurdles in the way:
He: In those days it was taboo for a young man and a woman to be meeting alone so when we went out we would have a chaperone.
First gift:
She: He gave me my wedding ring. We had decided to get married didn’t want to take a chance by informing our families. So we got a civil marriage registered at Windamere Hotel in Darjeeling.
First meeting with future in-laws:
She: After registry we informed both the households and were lucky not to face major hiccups. I met his family when he brought me to Calcutta on a holiday and I loved everyone.
On Valentine’s Day:
She: We are unfamiliar with this concept but we celebrate our anniversary. Even now my husband is the first person to wish me happy anniversary every year.
Dipti & Samaresh Bandopadhyay
Block: DL
Married for: 47 years
How they met:
He: It was love at first sight. I was a young engineer working in a remote place near Ranchi, and had come to Calcutta for a holiday. My uncle took me to a friend’s house on August 15, 1963 where I saw Dipti for the first time.
She: He sang the Rabindrasangeet Mor pothikere bujhi enechho ebar that day.
First gift:
He: On my next trip to Calcutta, I arranged a steamer ride on the Hooghly and got her friends to bring her. Stealing a private moment on the deck, I presented her with a bouquet of Rajanigandha. Then I held her hand and said: “Ami kotha dilam.” It meant nothing specific, really, but she understood what I wanted to say. The deal was sealed.
Hurdles in the way:
She: Distance was a problem but we would write to each other, sometimes two letters a week. And when he was in Calcutta he would send his kid brother to come and slip a letter to me, asking me to meet him at Gariahat crossing.
On Valentine’s Day:
He: Today’s generation uses text messages to express their feelings but misses out on poetry and music.
Pictures by Mayukh Sengupta,
Saradindu Chaudhury and Aniket Sil
Rita & Ramendra Narayan Mukherjee
Married for: 48 years
Block: EC
How they met:
She: He taught us at Scottish Church College. My best friend liked him and I wanted their relation to work out.
He: She and her friend were inseparable. They used to come together to get their copies signed.
Who took the first step:
He: After she passed out of college, I missed her so much that I couldn’t concentrate on my classes. So I wrote her a letter and posted it.
She: During a college excursion, I had invited all my friends for Saraswati Puja at my place to be held soon afterwards. He was there so I invited him too. I never thought he would turn up but he did!
He: I loved the atmosphere at her house. Her father also liked me. So I kept visiting them and finally asked him for her hand.
She: My father was impressed by his confidence.
First gift:
He: The first gift I gave her was a copy of Sanchayita. She was into recitation and theatre.
Hurdles in the way:
He: Our main problem was distance. When she returned home to Serampore after finishing college, the only way I could contact her was by writing a letter. She didn’t reply immediately. The reply came when I went to Parindhar as a part of my NCC training, asking me to come back because she missed me.
She: We never went anywhere together to avoid meeting Scottish Church students. Our only meeting place was a South Indian cafe on Dacres Lane, where office-goers went.
First meeting with future in-laws:
She: He took me to meet his mother after my father had given his consent.
On Valentine’s Day:
She: For us, Saraswati Puja was like V-day. Everyone went out in a group to check out the neighbourhood idols. Couples, which wanted to be alone, went separate ways.
Nupur & Indrajit Das
Block: CL
Married for: 31 years
How they met:
He: We lived in the same neighbourhood in our schooldays and our buildings were separated by railway tracks. I would watch her through binoculars.
Who took the first step:
He: I used to write notes, tie them to drained batteries and then throw them to the other side of the tracks for her to pick up and read.
First gift:
She: He gave me a Dairy Milk chocolate and I gave him a shirt.
Hurdles in the way:
He: I came from a business family and she from a salaried one. Plus, one was ghoti and the other bangal.
She: In between, Indrajit shifted to Ballygunge so it was a problem meeting up. Then I would go to meet him at the typing class that he joined as my sister too had signed up there.
First meeting with in-laws:
He: It went well. My parents went and proposed my marriage to her parents.
On Valentine’s Day:
She: I got to know of Valentine’s Day when I watched the film Dil to Pagal Hai. Had we known of it earlier we would have celebrated too. I feel embarrassed to celebrate it now.
Jayasree & Subhendu Kundu
Block: BA
Married for: 27 years
How they met:
He: Both of us were residents of BA Block before marriage.
She: We acted in the same play for Durga puja in 1985 and met for the first time at the rehearsals.
Who took the first step:
She: We were from the same block, so a direct approach was out of question in those days. Ishita Nath, a neighbour who is senior to us, played Cupid.
First gifts:
He: I gave her a pair of sunglasses.
She: I gifted him a Blue Bell shirt for Puja.
Hurdles in the way:
She: My parents placed a profile of mine in the matrimonial columns. In fact, even while I was in the first year of college, families had started visiting us to check me out for their sons. Also my father wasn’t very optimistic about our relationship.
First meeting with future in-laws:
He: I was very excited the day Jayasree’s parents came to our home to make plans for our wedding.
She: I had very long hair then, and his mother liked girls with long hair. So my hair proved to be the catalyst in the bonding.
On Valentine’s Day:
He: It doesn’t matter much to us. We celebrate our anniversary.
Alpana & Riten Majumder
Block: AJ
Married for: 35 years
How they meet:
He: Alpana’s brother was my friend and I went to visit him once when he fell ill. That’s when I saw Alpana first.
She: He paid no attention to me as I was still in school then.
Who took the first step:
He: I proposed to her but it was with mixed feelings as I didn’t know if she was already spoken for. Nor could I ask her brother about it.
She: He had no idea that I had feelings for him long before that.
First gifts:
He: I gifted her a copy of Gitabitan.
Hurdles in the way:
He: It was difficult for us to meet as we feared getting spotted together.
She: If someone saw us, we stopped speaking to each other immediately. We didn’t want rumours to spread.
We knew that the best place to meet would be far from our locality and so would meet under the big clock in Howrah Station.
The first meeting with in-laws:
He: I visited Alpana’s home pretty frequently to meet her brother so her parents knew me well.
She: I was invited to Riten’s house for an event and met his mother there. I was in Class X or Class XI then and used to be scared of her.
On Valentine’s Day:
He: Our anniversary is as good as our Valentine’s Day but I feel embarrassed watching young couples in City Centre, especially on Valentine’s Day. I think I have grown old. Had we seen couples of our age celebrating the day, we too would have felt encouraged to do so.
She: I have always wanted to gift him a card on Valentine’s Day but he refuses it, saying Valentine’s Day is only for youngsters.
Karabi & Saumitra Basu
Block: Karunamoyee Estate
Married for: 27 years
How they met:
He: Karabi’s brother was my student.
She: Once Saumitra came to my house to call my brother and I opened the door. Sometimes I used to accompany him to Saumitra’s place as well.
Who took the first step:
He: I went along with their family for a trip to Siliguri in 1987.
She: He used puns to express his love while speaking to me during the trip. My family members noticed that and alerted me. He also bought gifts for everyone except me and said he had a surprise in store. He used to smoke a lot in those days and after coming back from the Deer Park in Salt Lake one day, he asked if I’d like to take up the job of making him quit smoking. That was an indirect proposal!
First gifts:
He: I gifted her a musical birthday card from New Market.
She: That was the first time I got a birthday card and that too from a boy. So I was super-excited!
Hurdles in the way:
He: My mother was rigid and wanted me to marry someone of her choice. There were caste differences between us and there was also a ghoti-bangal divide. So there was immense opposition from my family.
Karabi: It took him six months to convince his mother to let him marry me. My father had some objection to our age difference.
First meeting with future in-laws:
He: As I taught her brother, I enjoyed a great rapport with her parents. We used to chat for hours.
She: I met his mother the first time when she came to our house to announce that Saumitra was soon to get engaged to someone else.
On Valentine’s Day:
He: We go out for dinner and definitely exchange gifts.
She: Our daughters make us celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Gayatri & Asok Sarkar
Block: AJ
Married for: 43
How they met:
She: He used to work in a branch of Standard Chartered Bank where I had an account.
Who took the first step:
He: I did as we had common interests.
First gifts:
He: I gifted her Tagore’s Sanchayita and she gifted me another of Tagore’s book of poems, Kheya.
She: He loves poetry whereas I love recitation.
Hurdles in the way:
He: My family was against my marrying a working lady. In fact even after marriage, my mother asked her to quit her job.
She: I was from a conservative family too.
First meeting with future in-laws:
He: The moment we told our families about our feelings, my family members went to meet her uncle, in whose house she used to stay.
She: I was pretty relaxed the day his elder brother and elder sister came to meet my uncle.
On Valentine’s Day:
He: It doesn’t exist for us.
She: For us every day is Valentine’s Day. In fact our daughter says that she never saw or heard us quarrel.
Subhra & Sukamal Kundu
Block: Purbachal Cluster X
Married for: 45 years
How they met:
She: We first met as children. I was nine and he was 14 then.
He: I was a tenant in Subhra’s house in the 1960s when I was studying in Scottish Church Collegiate School.
Who took the first step:
She: He proposed to me. I was compelled to say ‘yes’ as he was firm.
First gifts:
He: Cadbury’s chocolates were new in those days. So I gifted her one.
She: I didn’t have any money so I knitted him a sweater.
Hurdles in the way:
He: We were from different castes and it caused a lot of problems.
She: I was the first in my family to have an inter-caste marriage because of which my parents never accepted the wedding. I visited them only after the birth of my son.
First meeting with future in-laws:
He: I was a tenant in their house and so Subhra’s mother was very supportive throughout.
She: I met Sukamal’s father when I was very young and both our families were on very good terms.
On Valentine’s Day:
Sukamal: We do not have much to do with the occasion. In our times, Saraswati Puja was as good as Valentine’s Day.
Sumita & Manab Saha
Block: Karunamoyee Estate
Married for: 25 years
How they met:
He: We met at an annaprasan ceremony. For me, it was love at first sight.
She: I’d heard a lot about him as he acted in plays. We were both instantly attracted to each other.
Who took the first step:
He: I asked my relatives about her. Once they sensed my interest in her, they got very excited.
First gifts:
She: He gave me a box of chocolates.
Hurdles in the way:
He: Every parent want his daughter to get married to the President of America, but the reality is different.
She: For reasons unknown to us, my family members went to his house and cancelled our marriage. They even stopped talking to me.
First meeting with future in-laws:
He: I was quite relaxed while meeting her parents for the first time.
She: His parents came to our house to make plans for our marriage and grilled on my ability to perform household chores.
On Valentine’s Day:
He: We celebrate Valentine’s Day at home and seldom go out. I gifted her a ring on our 25th anniversary and specified that it was also a Valentine’s Day gift.
She: It’s either me who gives him something on Valentine’s Day or it’s the other way round. This time I have a surprise for him.
Anima & Ajit Shankar Ganguli
Block: AJ
Married for: 51 years
How they met:
He: She used to take guitar lessons from me.
Who took the first step:
He: Circumstances compelled us to get married. Our families knew each other very well.
She: My younger sister’s marriage was fixed and so it was decided that I’d tie the knot before her.
First gifts:
He: She gifted me a wallet.
She: He gifted me a ladies bag from New Market.
Hurdles in the way:
She: My parents insisted that I marry as early as possible.
He: One of my elder brothers was hospitalised at that moment. So I was not in a position to get married.
First meeting with future in-laws:
He: I taught her music at her home so I knew her father well.
She: He lost his parents at a very young age and his brother was in the hospital when we tied the knot. So there was a very small get-together on the day of our wedding.
On Valentine’s Day:
He: We had never heard of Valentine’s Day.
Sumita & Pinak Sarkar
Block: AE
Married for: 30 years
How they met:
He: I was in the first year of college and she was in Class IX when we met. We used to play badminton together.
She: My family used to stay in Shyambazar and there was a badminton court behind our house. He had come to play through some mutual friends of ours. I wasn’t so good with the racquet but he was superb.
Who took the first step:
He: I handed her a card. Saying ‘I love you’ in those days was a very difficult thing to do.
First gift:
He: After getting a job, I gave her a printed sari from a fair in the Maidan. It cost me Rs 65.
Hurdles in the way:
He: Ours was a long-distance relationship as I was in Jalpaiguri Govt. Engineering College and she was in Calcutta. I mailed letters to a friend who delivered them to Sumita.
She: My family was very orthodox. One of my uncles had a love marriage and it was looked down upon. We were from different castes and our families originated from different sides of undivided Bengal. This made the situation difficult.
First meeting with future in-laws:
He: I didn’t meet my in-laws before marriage.
She: I had met Pinak’s father long before my marriage and I used to seek his advice regarding our relationship in the face of so much opposition from my family.
On Valentine’s Day:
She: Our Valentine’s Day is our anniversary.
Manjusri & Nilabja Nayan Sarangi
Block: BG
Married for: 48 years
How they met:
He: Manjusri’s brother and I taught in Burla Medical College, Sambalpur.
She: I met him when I went to meet my brother in Odisha.
Who took the first step:
He: We were mature enough to sense that we were coming together.
First gifts:
He: In our time, we never had to gift things to express love.
She: Our families were very conservative and so the question of gifts never arose.
Hurdles in the way:
He: We were from different castes. Our love was expressed in letters sent by post as we couldn’t see each other for a very long time. My father was so opposed to the wedding that he attended the ceremony as a guest and not as the groom’s father.
She: During our courtship, it was very difficult for me to leave home. If I had to visit a friend, I was accompanied by my brother. We couldn’t see each other for four years.
First meeting with future in-laws:
He: I knew Manjusri’s parents well as her brother was my best friend.
She: I met my in-laws only after marriage.
On Valentine’s Day:
He: It doesn’t mean anything to us.
Subhra & Sumanta Basu
Block: EE
Married for: 28 years
How they met:
He: We met at the house of a common acquaintance. It was love at first sight for me.
She: He was a classmate of a relative.
Who took the first step:
She: He proposed. We were already in love. Hence the decision was easy.
First gifts:
He: She gifted me a pair of cuff links and a cigarette case.
She: He gifted me a locket during Durga puja.
Hurdles in the way:
He: There was no obstruction from my family as my parents also had a love marriage.
She: My family never supported this as my father was against the idea of a love marriage.
First meeting with in-laws:
He: I met Subhra’s parents for the first time on the day I met her as well.
She: Sumanta had once called me to his house where I first met his mother. I was introduced to her as a relative of Sumanta’s best friend.
On Valentine’s Day:
He: I never think about Valentine’s Day. It is an effect of globalisation.
She: In our time, this day wasn’t celebrated at all.
Trisha & Siddhartha Das
Block: CA
Married for: 28 years
How they met:
He: We used to stay in the same Amherst Street neighbourhood.
Who took the first step:
She: When he proposed, I was quite shocked but then things got really smooth.
First gifts:
He: A purse and nail polishes.
She: After he got his first salary, he gave me a silk sari from New Market.
Hurdles in the way:
He: My parents were trying to marry me off to someone else who they thought would suit me better.
First meeting with future in-laws:
He: Trisha’s father was a friend of my father and so I knew him before our relationship.
She: I was a bit nervous when Siddhartha’s mother came to our home for the first time to discuss the marriage.
On Valentine’s Day:
He: Once we went to City Centre on Valentine’s Day and the sales executive at a jewellery store persuaded me to get a ring for Trisha. That was the only Valentine’s Day gift I gave her.
She: We don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day as such.
Sibani & Samir Lal Banerjee
Block: Cluster X, Purbachal
Married for: 46 years
How they met:
He: We were from the same locality.
She: I acted in a skit on Saraswati puja and he watched it.
Who took the first step:
He: I expressed my love through telephone calls and letters.
First gifts:
He: I gave her a hair pin from Puri.
Hurdles in the way:
He: Out of the many letters which I posted, one accidentally fell in the hands of her uncle and it had serious repercussions. We had a mutual break-up and didn’t contact each other for about a year and half.
She: Samir was trying to go to the USA for higher studies and I felt a bit insecure about the relationship. Once my uncle read the letter, he opposed the relationship tooth and nail. In addition to that, when Samir was in the USA, though we exchanged letters once a week, a long-distance relationship was having its own problems.
First meeting with future in-laws:
He: Since we were from the same locality, I knew her parents pretty well. They also had a good impression about me as I was a medical student.
She: The first time I met Samir’s mother was when she came to our house to discuss marriage. We all sat on the terrace. She came up to me and spoke to me for some time.
On Valentine’s Day:
He: We exchange 24 gifts in 12 months. So what is the need to exchange gifts on Valentine’s Day?
She: Even though we’ve stayed abroad, we never felt the need to celebrate Valentine’s Day. It is a hype by the media.
Moushumi & Indradeep Banerjee
Block: AE
Married for: 30 years
How they met:
He: At a sacred thread ceremony.
She: I was in Class VIII then. I went to the ceremony from school. Some of my cousins introduced us and we got talking.
Who took the first step:
She: I was in Class XII when I proposed marriage.
He: Once she expressed her feelings I wanted to formalise it.
First gifts:
He: I took her to Gariahat and bought her a sari.
She: All of a sudden, he handed me some cash and asked me to choose whichever I liked. I was shocked as I had no clue about saris then.
Hurdles in the way:
He: My mother had some issues.
She: My parents didn’t have any objection but some in the family weren’t happy.
First meeting with future in-laws:
He: I knew her parents for long.
She: After our marriage was fixed, one day Indradeep took me home. His mother was standing at the door and asked us not to come in as there were relatives inside who wouldn’t like to see us together before marriage.
On Valentine’s Day:
He: Valentine’s Day has no meaning for us.
She: All I remember is that our wedding reception took place on February 14, 1985. We’ve given each other gifts since then.
Sanchali & Samir Das
Block: AJ
Married for: 25 years
How they met:
He: We studied in Guwahati University together. I was doing my MBA and she her MA in English. Sanchali was an extremely good dancer and after watching one of her performances, I fell in love with her.
She: Our departments were close by. I knew him by face.
Who took the first step:
He: I used to write love letters to her and mistakenly I’d left one on my study table which reached my brother-in-law. He decided to visit Sanchali’s house and fix our marriage.
She: Initially I didn’t accept the proposal as I was very career-oriented. But later I thought that since we were already in love, why not marry?
First gift:
She: I gave him a white Assam silk shirt on his birthday.
Hurdles in the way:
He: My father was very strict, so convincing him was a big issue.
She: Since I was their youngest daughter, my parents wanted me to marry after a few years. Moreover, my mother was sick. Still, I decided to tie the knot sooner than later as Samir’s father had finally agreed.
First meeting with future in-laws:
He: In 1987, I went to Sanchali’s house on her birthday as a friend but no one knew that we were already soulmates.
She: I met Samir’s father when he came to our house for the first time to discuss our wedding plans. I went to touch his feet but he said: “Poila pita ke”, indicating that I should touch my father’s feet before touching his.
On Valentine’s Day:
He: We generally gift each other something on Valentine’s Day.
Aditi & Asoke Kumar Bhanja
Block: Karunamoyee Estate
Married for: 25 years
How they met:
He: We met at my elder brother’s wedding in 1985.
Who took the first step:
He: We met later in Md. Ali Park along with her friend Bidisha. It was Bidisha who told me about her feelings for me.
She: We used to talk a lot over the phone but it was my friend who took the final step.
First gift:
He: I bought her a brown sari from Visakhapatnam.
She: I got him a sleeveless sweater from Darjeeling.
Hurdles in the way:
He: I didn’t face any problems in telling my mother, brother and sister-in-law about my love for her.
She: My mother wanted to choose a groom who would be better than Asoke in all aspects. My father also had some objections because of which I was sent to my brother in Kalimpong, so that the relationship couldn’t be continued. But Asoke followed me to Kalimpong as well.
First meeting with future in-laws:
He: I knew her parents from my elder brother’s wedding.
She: I visited Asoke’s house for the first time in 1985 and his mother asked me how I was.
On Valentine’s Day:
She: We never knew much about Valentine’s Day. A few years back, I bought two roses from the market. One was for my son and the other was for Asoke. As I was going to hand over the rose to Asoke, he asked me: “What for?”
Mitali & Arunava Mitra
Block: AH (Digantika Abasan)
Married for: 36 years
How they met:
She: I was a Class IX student then living in Vidyasagar Niketan when a handsome new boy moved into the neighbourhood. I noticed him in the playground a few times and told my friends that I fancied him.
Then one day I was going to my friend’s flat when that boy came and challenged me with what I had told my friends! He turned out to be my friend’s cousin and that naughty girl told me nothing when I had confessed my feelings for her brother. I ran away praying that the boy wouldn’t go and complain to my father.
Hurdles in the way:
He: Eventually we started seeing each other. But I was scared of her father and could not go ring her doorbell. So I invented a secret signal to call her: a loud “tak tak tak”.
She: Soon my whole building knew who would call out like that and who went running down as a response except my father.
Things were somewhat easier after I joined college. He worked in a bank and had half-days on Saturdays so I too would bunk college then. We watched every Amitabh Bachchan film that released and ate at New Cathy, Peiping, Chung Wah and Nizam’s. But Cinderella hour would be 7pm and anyone entering our house after that would get an earful from my father. “Bus paini” was my favourite excuse.
First gift:
He: I gave her a pink and white organza sari that she still has.
First meeting with future in-laws:
She: He took me to his house and introduced me to his grandma as a “good friend”. But his grandma shot back: “Good friend or fiancee?”
On Valentine’s Day: I’m all for the festival but these days love has become materialistic. Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be a competition to show who can buy the most expensive gifts.
Malini & Col (retd) Tapan Roye
Block: CK
Married for: 46 years
How they met:
She: I was just out of school and he was a captain in the army, posted in Dehradun. We had both gone to Lucknow to attend a wedding and that’s where we met.
Hurdles in the way:
He: Our parents were apprehensive as we had a big age difference. I was introduced to several prospective brides but my heart was set on her. Finally everyone agreed.
First gift:
She: He sent me a New Year card from Dehradun. Things were so strict back then that the wordings were rather staid but I remember being smitten reading how he had signed off the card “with love”.
On Valentine’s Day: Given how much people take each other for granted, I think it’s a wonderful idea to renew our feelings on a specified day. My husband and I celebrate it by going out.
Tripti & Dilip Kumar Ghosh
Block: Vidyasagar Niketan
Married for: 53 years
How they met:
He: At a common relative’s place.
Hurdles in the way:
She: Back in the day it was very difficult for a man and woman to spend time alone so an elderly relative would help us out. He would drive me to Victoria Memorial to let me spend time with him.
He: The bone of contention in Tripti’s family was that they were ghoti (originally from West Bengal) and we were Bangal (originally from East Bengal). Then again my folks were apprehensive as Tripti came from a family of mixed cultures — she had Hindu, Christian and Brahmo relatives. But eventually all problems eased out.
On Valentine’s Day: Just because Valentine’s Day is a Western concept, it does not mean it is bad. My wife and I would have certainly have celebrated it in our courtship days had we known about it. Now when I offer to gift her something she says that Valentine’s Day is not a day for husbands and wives.
But being the head of the Salt Lake chapter of a senior citizens’ group, I plan to celebrate it for our members for the first time this year.
Sudipta & Somesh Chandra Chatterjee
Block: FD
Married for: 44 years
How they met:
She: We grew up in the same Shyambazar neighbourhood and we took a liking for each other in our late teens.
First gift:
He: After her Higher Secondary results I gifted her a beautiful pen.
She: It was so special to me that I barely wrote with it. I still have it.
Hurdles in the way:
She: When the question of marriage was raised, his mother was apprehensive since they were Brahmins and I wasn’t. My family too frowned upon love marriages but I knew that my aunt had had a love marriage in the 1940s, although it was rarely discussed in the family. Eventually everyone consented.
On Valentine’s Day: The fun of falling in love was manifold in our time since we had to hide it from the world. We wouldn’t make it public till we were sure it was for keeps. Now-a-days people flaunt their lovers, split and flaunt new lovers again without batting an eyelid.
Mita & Sujit Das
Block: FD
Married for: 33 years
How they met:
She: I was in Class IX when he, a BSc student, first came to teach me science subjects at home. He had lost his parents as a child and I was impressed to learn that he was a self-made man, like my father. But it was only after I cleared Higher Secondary that we got romantically involved.
Hurdles in the way:
She: I told my parents about him after my BSc exams but they were apprehensive. They felt life would be difficult since he was all alone and was shouldering a lot of responsibilities.
He: But she persisted and her parents came around after three years.
On Valentine’s Day:
She: I am against this concept as it implies that we need not love our partners the rest of the year. And if we must, then I’d rather take Saraswati puja as the day for young lovers.
Nandita Sinha & Tapan Kumar Das
Block: Falguni Abasan
Married for: 27 years
How they met:
She: We grew up in the same village in Howrah and he was my elder brother’s friend.
Hurdles in the way:
He: Love blossomed when we got older but then she got a teaching job in Purulia and left. We used to keep in touch through letters.
First gift:
She: I had come home for a holiday once when the Book Fair was on. But I had no time to visit. So he went to the fair, bought a copy of Tagore’s Gitabitan and rushed to Howrah station to hand it to me before my train departed. I still go through the book whenever I have time.
Susmita & Gautam Sarkar
Block: Karunamayee Estate
Married for: 28 years
How they met:
He: We grew up in the same neighbourhood.
She: When he first wanted to send me a note, he asked a girl to hand it to “the girl wearing a red dress” and the messenger gave the note to my mother!
Who took the first step:
He: It was Kali puja and I asked her for candles and matchsticks to burst crackers but she refused. It led to a quarrel and one thing led to another.
First gift:
She: I gave him cufflinks.
Hurdles in the way:
He: No major obstacles since our parents were friends. But my parents wanted me to complete studies before we got married.
On Valentine’s Day:
She: I only came to know of Valentine’s Day in 2004 when Gautam gave me a ring.
Bijoli & Rabindranath Bhattacharya
Block: BD
Married for: 56 years
How they met:
He: We met at a function. In those days it was a big deal to have a phone at home but both of us did. Calls were very expensive but we would sometimes call each other anyway, always worrying about getting caught.
She: We only went out twice that too we were careful not to walk together in case someone spotted us.
Who took the first step:
She: He hinted that he had fallen for me. I had almost fainted hearing it but was happy from within.
First gift:
She: I was still in my teens when we got married. I had no interest in studies and only wanted to pursue music and dance. But he told me I could dance only if I continued my studies. He was teaching in a college then and would come home and tutor me. I cleared my law examination and bagged an LLB degree too. This was the first and best gift from him.
First meeting with future in-laws:
He: Since our families were already acquainted the meeting went smoothly.
On Valentine’s Day:
He: Our special days are our wedding anniversary and the day that we met for the first time.
Contributed by Aniket Sil, Brinda Sarkar, Snehal Sengupta, Soubhik Chakrabarti and Sreya Chatterjee
