A dream come true….

How do you define a person who disregards all heavenly authority on us mortals and thinks of himself as the almighty embodied? He is neither a theist nor an atheist nor an agnostic. Perhaps that is the reason why Sudipta Chakraborty, in spite of being a Brahmin of the highest order, could not be persuaded to bear the holy Brahmanical thread, which is supposed to be the sign of his second birth in the same lifetime.

All said and done, our very own god man, however, could not stop himself from falling in love with this quiet little shy girl whose delicate docility prompted a beautiful dream to a college going Sudipta, leading to a well rehearsed love proposal the next day, only to be refused silently. The girl was Tanaya, both of whom studied in a suburban college in extended north Kolkata. Sudipta and Tanaya, now living happily in close conjugal bliss, blessed with a cherubic eight year old daughter, still remember their early 2000s tale of love, rejection and acceptance with much fondness.

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Their friends played a very important part in their love story. Sudipta’s childhood buddies dressed him up with the best heroic finery from their own closet. But all of it fell flat when the girl in question, Tanaya, said no, as her family’s ethics did not allow her to entertain love proposals back then. A disheartened Sudipta treated his loving friends to glasses of Rose Lassi from a popular snack joint in the neighbourhood, nevertheless. But ahem, the two of them were destined to unite. Otherwise, why would Sudipta dream of him and Tanaya, married and planning a lovely life together on their nuptial night, even when the two of them were not very familiar with each other?

Once again, their mutual friends saved their failed romance from being lost by coaxing Tanaya with good anecdotes about Sudipta. Finally, Tanaya’s heart melted, and the two of them started seeing each other. The date of their marriage was the historic 26 January 2014. Sudipta jokingly said, “I became a proja (subject) on our Projatantra Diwas or the Republic Day”. The two of them, in spite of being life partners, could not be more chalk and cheese.

While she is a stickler for perfect housekeeping he is the ultimate mess, she aspired for an authentic social marriage complete with all rituals, he being a self-imagined God, flatly refused the religious customs, she indulges in traditional Indian entertainment but he is sold exclusively on smart exotic series and cinema, he takes care of all things mechanical at home when she looks after their social responsibilities, he is always cool headed but she is often a victim of tension and panic.

Their list of differences is never-ending. Yet one cannot miss their inherent goodness, innocence and sunshine selves which swept them into being lovers for life. There was an air of casualness, minus any matrimonial formality, about them addressing each other as ‘tui’, which, however, they were forced to change to ‘tumi’ after marriage when taken to task by their parents. The innocence in question is evident in Sudipta’s words when he said, “I vanished on my way to the wedding to fetch the money which I would have to pay to my in-laws as a part of the marriage revelry from the ATM to everyone’s surprise. While waiting for the marriage ceremony, I twisted both my middle fingers on the feet for comfort, which my in-laws noticed from behind the dhoti and clicked me in that pose”.

Their daughter combines the best of both their worlds, praising her father’s storytelling and her mother’s dancing and dressing. The picture of a happy family of theirs was often interrupted with Sudipta’s frequent job changes, interim periods of low income, academic preparations and offer refusals. Tanaya lent that apt support to her husband, befitting her role of a perfectly loving and responsible wife. She takes her role quite seriously, as in her words, “Sudipta is often unmindful, who needs to be spoon-fed with all his immediate requirements, yet he meets his little culinary needs himself, including delicious mutton curry, taking good care of my gastronomic cravings also, especially during my pregnancy.”

At the end of it all, Sudipta says “acceptance without ego” is the key to a happy relationship. Tanaya is skeptical about the approaching times and still thinks “being supportive to each other” would see the next generation through in spite of the cut throat competitive society. Both of them agree on a single notion that there is no ideal formula for life’s happiness. One has to find one’s own way to fulfillment, maneuvering the given situation.