Swapan Kumar Roy, 63, and Anjana, 49, had met for the first time during subho dristi on their wedding day on June 18. When Swapan’s father and elder brother had gone for match-making to Jangipara in Hooghly from Dharsa in Ramrajatala, Swapan had jokingly told them, “Why don’t you stand outside a girls’ college, you will get to see a lot of girls together.” His only stipulation for marriage was that he wanted a girl from East Bengal, because his mother was from there as well.
After having spent almost 31 years together, Swapan and Anjana still believe they are made for each other. They are childless, after one infant death and a couple of miscarriages, yet Swapan never regrets the loss. “Today, I feel that had I not married him, I would have made the biggest mistake of my life,” confessed Anjana. This and some more was the story of Swapan and Anjana, who won the first prize for their love story at Tanishq’s Shibpur showroom on the eve of Valentine’s Day. A retired officer of Burn Standard Company Ltd, Swapan had visited the Tanishq store some time back to buy a nosepin for his wife to gift on Valentine’s Day. As he had left his details back at the store, the couple received an invitation to celebrate the day of love at the store on February 13.
Love was in the air from the eve of Valentine’s Day at Tanishq’s Shibpur store that had been decorated with red and white balloons. Couples arrived to share their love stories with others. Some had just discovered love and would soon be married, while others, like Swapan and Anjana, have spent a good 30 years together and are still going strong.
Valentine’s Day was made memorable for these couples as each story was voted by the listeners. Everyone listened intently to the story of the 35 couples and then voted for the one that was the best, according to them. “Since couples are usually busy on Valentine’s Day, we thought of celebrating a day in advance. Age was no bar as we invited couples from all age groups including those who have been married for many years. They stand as examples for the younger generation,” said Kaushik Mukherjee, the floor manager at Tanishq. “I have never seen such a programme before. I encourage such efforts which give couples like us a chance to share our sorrows and joys with others. This was my wife’s first ever public speech,” said Swapan.
Swapan and Anjana’s story won the first prize with 18 votes. Dr Vindresh Misra, 35 years, and his wife, Monica’s story stood second with 16 votes. They have been married for just over four years and have a three-year-old daughter. “We were engaged in February 2009 and we married in November 2010. She had just registered for her PhD degree in botany and needed to concentrate on her studies. So we waited,” said Vindresh. Their first meeting, however, was a memorable incident. “She was supposed to come from Aligarh to New Delhi station to meet me, but she missed the train. She boarded the next train, but she did not realise that she had got off at the old Delhi station. We were waiting at two different stations but were wondering why we could not see each other, until she asked someone at the platform. Then, I had to go to the old Delhi station to get her,” laughed Vindresh. Both are central government employees and were living in Calcutta till 2012, when they bought a flat at Danesh Sheikh Lane and shifted to Howrah. “The programme at Tanishq was indeed a great platform for common people like us who can share our experiences with others,” said Vindresh.
The third prize went to Sanju Majumdar and his wife Rituparna who got 14 votes. The residents of DumDum shared their love story-at the store. They are married for two-and-half years. “We celebrate Valentine’s Day every year either by going somewhere together or spending with a group of friends. We have organised games and activities among couples but this is the first time that we took part in such an event,” said Sanju, who runs a computer hardware business and often has to come to Shibpur for work. “Buying a gift for my wife is mandatory on Valentine’s Day and I have shopped at the Tanishq store in Shibpur. That is why they invited me,” said Sanju.
The winner couples were given gold-plated diyas and the V-Day celebration continued with cake-cutting and a couple dance.
