Valentine's Day: Classical RomCALM for life

Is it all about being mushy with red roses, chocolates, teddy bears and candlelight dinners or is it something deeper? If you and your beau are the “together forever” kind of couple who have stood the test of time even in the times of tinder, then you probably have understood the game of love. Everything happens in the name of love in today’s “swipe right” generation. As couples celebrate Valentine’s Day today, we find out what it means to them. We speak to the lucky few who are in it for the long haul as they get candid on how challenging is it in times when everyone is looking for quick love and falling in and out of relationships at the drop of a hat.

Long distance relationship:

Shaaz Jung, son of Saad Bin Jung (grandson of the Begum of Bhopal), Nawab of Pataudi who recently tied the knot with his long time beau Naintara shares his story, “Naintara and I met in early 2010 through a friend. I’m from Bengaluru and she’s an Indian from America. I had one week to make a lasting impression on her before she went back to Boston University. Our first few dates revolved around showing her my world. From street chaat to sushi bars to breweries, we enjoyed it all, completely oblivious to what we were getting into. The dreaded conversation about doing ‘long distance’ was inevitable but the decision to go ahead with it was what truly made us. I would be lying if I said the long distance didn’t test our patience. The time difference and poor signal in the forest made life difficult, but the distance allowed us to get to know each other on a far deeper level. We met twice a year – summers in India and winters in New York. Naintara moved to India and it didn’t take long for us to tie the knot.”

Naintara chips in saying, “We spend our weekends tracking tigers and weekdays at the office. Our journey has been long, ridden with obstacles that at times tested us but only made us stronger. Many fall prey to the initial struggles but very few realise the importance of these issues as they eventually help solidify the foundations to an everlasting relationship. It’s all about how much you’re willing to sacrifice for each other without sacrificing too much. Finding the right balance is crucial. Our advice is to be patient and not be afraid of the hardships that are so often faced.”

Surviving the test of time:

While there are some who get lucky in love, many others fall out. Another haute couple from the city is model Priyanka Diwan who has been dating her long time beau Nisar, a fashion choreographer. Priyanka confesses, “We have been in a relationship for eight years and I can’t imagine my life without him. It was not intentional or love at first sight. We became friends first and then found out we had a lot in common. From being my best friend then to being my boyfriend now, we have shared all the ups and downs in all these years. He continues to be my best friend and confidante. We are both open to each other. Sometimes he’s like my best girlfriend and at other times I’m like his best boyfriend.”

Highs & lows in love:

Feeling truly blessed and all set to tie the knot this year are Pavithra Natarajan, social media manager, Maxus and Preetham Raj, senior manager, Broadcom. “Keeping aside the drama of our first meeting, I would say that I actually met him through my ex-boyfriend. It wasn’t love at first sight and we took our time to get to know each other. We didn’t jump into the whole ‘I love you’ and professing our romance on social media which sometimes seems so fake. It took us over six months to decide that and we did have our highs and lows. I see a lot of young couples these days who believe that being in a relationship equals doing every single thing together. I don’t agree. You lose yourself when you let that happen. The key to making a relationship work is to give each other the space and help each other nurture and grow,” shares Pavithra.