We have all often been regaled by the standard Indian love story. Boy meets girl. Boy woos girl. Girl says yes. Wedding bells chime.
This one goes a little differently. When Mansi saw Apurva at work (where else?), she was intrigued enough to want to begin a conversation. One fine evening, she looked up his number in the office database and sent him a timid 'Hi' on WhatsApp, calculating that at worst her message would go unanswered.
What was slow to begin, was quick to blossom. Within weeks of Mansi's speculative opening gambit, a good old-fashioned romance was in full bloom. Great poems were plagiarized, average poems were written, the eyes of the lover were found more luminous that the brightest stars, a day apart was counted to be a year, and it was solemnly declared to anyone who would listen that such love the world had never seen and was unlikely to see again.
At which point, the families mercifully intervened with the time tested cure for romantic simple mindedness - marriage. But just then Apurva had to move abroad for work and the wedding was pushed back by a year. The year went by swiftly and the lovers held fast heroically, surviving on little more than multiple daily phone calls, weekly video chats, and frequent meetings in person.
Finally, on a mellow Delhi November afternoon, the deed was done. Mantras were recited, vows were exchanged, gifts were received, feet of relatives dear and unknown were touched, lunch was had, and congratulations received.
The moral of the story? If you fancy someone, do say 'Hi'.
Who knows, they might be the one!
Photography: Naman Verma, Avirat Sundra
Makeup: Rehat Brar
Bride's outfit: Salt Spring By Sonam | Groom's outfit: Qbik
Location: The Leela Palace New Delhi