Friday 18 October 2013

Happy 32nd Anniversary to us:-)

February 1980. That's when we met (I think:-p)
You came to meet my best friend. Destiny laughed. And you got stuck with me:-)
And then began-
A whirlwind romance, friendship, fun and heart-pounding excitement! The unique proposing- the kind only YOU could pull off:-? (That's another nightmare..errr..story, to be told another time) ..
The engagement --again the unique kind, where the army pundit made my phoophaji and you exchange rings:-)) And the journey began!

A fairytale journey of innumerable friends(both of us being the gregarious kinds), of starlit nights, bike rides, fighting & making up, dreams and nightmares, a thousand love-letters (ALL of which I have hidden away Mr. Tyagi- for blackmailing purposes!!)

The era of picnics with friends, sitting in abandoned boats on the Mulla-Mutha river in Pune, singing songs and playing romantic songs on the flute(AGAIN another nightmare story, to be told another time!) , the era of shy smiles and innocent courting, the era of demure damsels and dashing debonairs ..and DINOSAURS! Sigh! What an innocent, beautiful era it was!

It was the first time I had heard the surname “Tyagi”. The first time I acknowledged a town named Meerut was on the map. The first time I was in love. With a real person. A person who was all-of-my-dream-heroes rolled-into-one. (your choice of romantic songs left a LOT to be desired, but that's yet another story, to be told another time:-/)

And then my came October 1981. The 100 red roses you drove to Delhi to give me on my birthday- the last single birthday:-) And then came D-Day.

The kaleidoscope of  black & white photographs and Kodak colour memories spins through my mind. I think we made it good, didn't we? Learnt from each other, evolved, grew into our own personal spaces- all the while holding on to the gossamer soft yet toughened steel bond that has kept us together through ups & downs, thick & thins (And HOW!!), helped us navigate the various potholes life threw in our way..

Thank you for being my best friend, my staunchest support, the father of my children (conjecture? Sigh- No. They have way too many of your traits for me to romanticize that or throw it on your head!!)

Thank you for the space we built with carefully placed bricks, which we do not attempt to invade. Thank you for teaching me the meaning of “unconditional” love and respect, belonging and acceptance. And for turning the shy, soft-voiced, trembling heroine of yester-years into a ferocious fire-breathing dragon:-)) ….(I am sure our offspring & friends will vouch for that)
 To borrow some lines from yet another of my favourite songs-

Humraaz, humkhayaal toh thhe ,
Humnazar baney.
Tay hua zindagi ka safar..
Jab humsafar baney..

Happy Anniversary Pardner!