Jab we met: When chalk met cheese

Former national champion S. Narendranath, who runs the NVK Tennis Academy and well-known artist Deepa Nath are as different as chalk and cheese. But, in spite of that, they have spent 32 blissful years together. What then, is the secret to a good marriage? They say, “You don’t need common hobbies. You need love and understanding.”

They have different upbringing and lifestyle. “We don’t have any thing in common. He loves sports and loves eating non-vegetarian food. He is not social. Whereas, I never follow sports. I am a pure vegetarian and I love to meet new people. But, every other day we thank each other for the life that we made together,” says Deepa, who has two decades of experience in art  and is a keen observer of people and translates their emotions onto the canvas.

Narendranath and Deepa got married in December 1984. “We studied in Nizam College. He was two years my senior,” recalls Deepa, adding, “Back then, our college had reservations for sportsmen so we had many students such as Mohammad Azharuddin, Kiran Kumar Reddy as cricketers and Narendranath as a national-level tennis player. He hardly attended college as he travelled a lot. But when he was in town he would sit down and chat.”

The couple look back on how their relationship began. “I always liked him because of his simplicity, being a celebrity he was very down to earth. When he was leaving for Holland for a couple of months, that’s when I felt I was in love, as the thought of not seeing him for long was unsettling,” says Deepa and he laughs, “Our love blossomed over letters. It was easier to express that way,” he adds.

The couple, have two children – 24-year-old Tanvi and 22-year-old Tarun. “There was hardly any dating. I took her to Yankee Doodle for ice cream and the only place where we both went often was A.A Hussain, a book shop” says Narendranath and she adds, “He would always come home to meet me and our common friend. The whole college was under the impression that he was marrying her. We three still remain very close friends.”

After initial hesitation, their families agreed for marriage. “We wanted the wedding to be over quickly so we could spend time together,” they say.

And were they nervous? Deepa says, “We come from different backgrounds. That did make me a bit nervous. We both had a pact – I told him he is going to shield me from anyone asking me to try non-vegetarian.”

They do have their share of disagreements. “We argue only with regard to kids. I would try to discipline them and he would spoil them. We argue about how much he spends.”

They say it is important to respect your partner. “We did have our share of ups and downs but I realised it gets better with time like wine. We are like best friends and connect emotionally and spiritually and trust each other immensely. Our marriage is surely made in heaven,”  Narendranath signs off.