Valentine's special: New age couples defy odds to recreate true love

Had we broken up we wouldnt have reversed itPrerita and Trishant SidhwaniTogether since 2008As teenagers Prerita Puri and Trishant Sidhwani lived five minutes away from each other in Khar But it was only in New York that they met for the first time Both had enrolled at the same business school and were only too happy to see a desi face in their midstIndians tend to attract Indians at universities abroad so we had developed a clique of 15 people who always hung out together Prerita and I attended a few parties and one evening I asked her out on a date says Trishant cofounder of Dreamkraftz a wedding planning firm Who knew that this would last forever laughs Prerita who was 17 at the time Young and independent both were open to the idea of exploring options if need be Except it never came to thatBack in Mumbai after their monthlong honeymoon the couple says not much has changed except that they now live together The giddiness of love that they first felt 10 years ago has transformed into a warm lasting comfort It was never love at first sight Nothing about him particularly caught my attention He was just another guy she says But conversations can be catalysts It was during their walks from the dorm to the classroom that Cupid struckConsidering both were students living far away from home they soon became each others support system Sidhwanis culinary skills only helped the two bond over homecooked food While he belongs to a joint family where dinner table conversations were mostly about scaling up the familyowned business Puri says she was raised in a nuclear family where she could discuss life universe and everything in between We were soon to realise that we are very different by nature and extremely opinionated which of course led to heated arguments But its our debates that have helped us come close because it helped us understand each others world view she says Arguments are usually resolved only when one of them gives up Most of the time Im the one to get frustrated and say sorry jokes Sidhwani Unlike the Kampanis they have never had a break We knew that if we broke up we wouldnt be reversing it she saysAlthough the couple works together they seek enough alone time to balance it out It takes hard work to sustain a relationship First you need to ask yourself is it worth it For us it was an emphatic yes Although I dont like everything about her and vice versa we have reached middle ground and thats the secret he addsAnju MaskeriGopi and Amit in hospital during chemotherapy PicImapactguruCancer worked as elixir for our marriageGopi and Amit ShenoyLove in the time of blood cancerWhen Gopi and Amit Shenoy took their wedding vows little did they know that their love for each other would be tested by the five words they had uttered to each other in sickness and in health Just twoandahalf years into their marriage 34yearold Amit was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia a type of blood cancer and life was never the same As Gopi an advertising professional says It brought us even closer and made our bond unbreakableGopi and Amit first met at an exhibition in NCPA and before they knew it was love at first sight Six exciting months later the two tied the knot In August 2018 Amit who works as a project manager at an NGO was detected with the condition Thirtythreeyearold Gopi shares All kinds of thoughts were running through my mind while the doctor was talking to us Why him Why do we have to suffer at such a young age What wrong have we done in our lives But we had just two days to absorb this information before he got admitted to hospitalGopi says the couple had two clear choices to give up or remain undefeated She adds We both had to inform our bosses and they offered tremendous support A positive attitude helped us I could see a drastic difference in Amits condition He was in a happy space although we were in an isolation room where no one was allowed We watched movies together and had a good time while he was given his first dose of chemotherapy Gopi had to take a sabbatical but her focus remained Amit I had decided that Id do whatever it took to get him healthyHowever after the first procedure and a bone marrow test the couple learned that chemotherapy had not worked We were informed that Amit would be given a higher dose during a second round of chemotherapy Finally a test revealed that his marrow was completely clean of the disease This was music to our ears Gopi addsAfter a tiring 15 months the hospital allowed the couple to go home This time Amits insurance covered a large sum of the bill The doctor advised us to go home for a week and return for a third round of chemotherapy He also suggested allogeneic stem cell transplant which would help diminish chances of reoccurrence and increase his survival rate by 65 per cent But the treatment was to cost us R40 lakh along with post transplant care expenses We were worried about how we would manage the funds So we approached a crowdfunding platform ImpactGuru and raised the entire amountThat day on the couple was determined that they will do everything in their power to help other patients in need Amit says The doctor confirmed that I was in total remission I realised it was our positive attitude and blessings of some people that we had come through But a bigger battle was yet to be fought We went to Pune for a stem cell transplant and the multiple rounds to the ICU and nightmares finally ended after 41 days Amit who is now recovering believes the experience has been a blessing in disguise It worked as a elixir for our marriage and relationshipPrutha BhosleLife is about acceptanceMeghna and Atul LokeLove in the time of autoimmune disorderIt was only two months into their marriage that Meghna Loke started experiencing bouts of pain During these times she could neither talk and barely breathe Eighteen years later the only difference is that she now knows its because she suffers from an autoimmune disorder The thing about my husband is that he accepts situations and doesnt question them Meghna says of her primary caregiver Atul a freelance photographer Atul says But thats life You cant be defeated You have to accept and move onThe two who started sharing their journey on Instagram a few years ago with their handle lovesprinklers say that for a long time they shied away from talking about their pain But sharing their life made them realise they werent alone It gave us our voice back The pictures and text are like art where you can express yourself and not feel victimised says Meghna to which Atul adds I was already taking photos and we were going through so much so we decided why not be story tellers Ten years ago they brought home a golden labrador who they named Coco and life became sunny again We had become numb you know but Coco has shouldered our pain He is my son When Atul isnt here he takes care of me He has been though my blackouts as well Atul has previously said no to plum projects and stayed at home to look after Meghna but thanks to Coco he is right now on a solo biking trip across South IndiaMeghna says that there was a time she decided to end her life because the pain was unbearable She stopped taking her medicine In protest Atul stopped taking his diabetes pills I realised that I was putting Coco and Atul on the line and I pulled myself back from that dark placeIn the end its Atul who sums up their relationship We are friends first not husband and wife Thats why we have been able to do this without resenting each other We will always remain friendsAastha Atray BananAnushi and Hardik Kampani at their Marine Drive residence PicBipin KokateLife did not allow us to drift apartAnushi and Hardik KampaniTogether since 2005This April Anushi and Hardik Kampani will complete 13 years of togetherness Its a different matter that the couple is only 27 years old which means they started dating at the age of 14 when both were bumbling school kidsIts funny when we learn of uncles and aunties celebrating 20 years of being together because Im like hey well get there very soon laughs Anushi a digital marketer The two met through a common friend at a jam night at The JB Petit High School for Girls where Anushi was studying at the time Her first impression of him was that of somebody cute gentle and calm quite in contrast to her own self hyper and impatient Yet they connected and decided to date the same night they met Of course dating back then meant chatting on MSN messenger and going for walks says Hardik a GD Somani alumnus and investment banker While the walks continue the chats have moved offline to their home on Marine Drive The couple tied the knot on December 24 2016 after dating for a decadeThe Kampanis found love at 14 and were able to hold on it At a time when modern love is turning to be a fragmented and fleeting reality millennial couples like Anushi and Hardik stand out for sticking it out Both admit its all about wanting to make it work which involves working on themselves firstWe started out as best friends and later segued into love And what has worked for us is that we are on the same page when it comes to big decisions and learnt to adapt to each others way of thinking says Anushi Over the course of their relationship they have broken up several times only to crawl back into each others arms And of course there have been loves litmus tests When we started out I used to be overweight and later lost 30 kg which is when I started getting a lot of attention from boys But nothing distracted me because Hardik was with me through the toughest of times Nobody could have taken his place she saysIf they love with passion they fight with as much fervour But no arguments are ever taken to bed Its resolved in person never over text Its a rule that Hardik has put in place Being the impatient one she hates it when I say lets talk in out in person But it almost always works Anushi says she takes recourse in the Buddhist chant Nammyohorengekyo to calm her down during the downs in the relationship Dating for this long has also given them enough time to discover all those things that may turn out to be deal breakers later He snores like a locomotive but will never ever admit it she laughsNow when they look back both concur that it has been a dizzying roller coaster ride Life did not allow us to drift apart Hardik tells us referring to the time they seriously decided to call it quits because he wanted to pursue an undergrad course in Singapore He may not know this but I secretly prayed that he doesnt get through the university laughs AnushiAnju MaskeriCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates