‘They will force you to wear a burkha. You’ll have to eat beef. He will desert you to marry someone else, don’t you know Muslims can keep four wives? Why do you need to marry him? You can marry a Brahmin and continue being friends with him...no one will mind that.’ Reactions laced with common misconceptions and prejudice came pouring in when Akansha Sharma announced her decision to marry Mohammed Suaib.

Suaib, 31, was a co-worker in a Gurgaon MNC and a happy friendship had unknowingly blossomed into love over shared meals of insipid canteen food and hanging out with friends. Both were from small towns in Uttar Pradesh thrown into big city life for the first time.


Sharma, 28, says, “Growing up we were told that marriage outside the caste is out of the question. And here, I had fallen in love with someone from a different religion.”

The first time they broached the subject with their parents, the reaction was predictably extreme. “But the opposition that should have driven us apart brought us closer,” she says.

The second time, the two firmly told their parents that they had decided to marry. “Overnight from being their favourite devout son — who kept rozas and read the namaz regularly — I became a nobody. They refused to accept my decision hoping that I would change my mind,” Suaib recalls.

When Sharma did not respond to emotional threats and pleas on the phone, her family decided to “take her away”.

In October 2014, they whisked her away from office and kept her confined for 20 days. Sharma describes those days with a wry smile. “My parents fell ill, there were trips to the hospital. I had to meet prospective grooms. I was given a fat set of newspaper clippings on ‘love jihad’ and told this would happen to me,’’ she says.

Finally, she was able to get away. Sharma almost lost her job. Suaib was not so lucky. He was fired after his relatives came looking for him and intimidated some office personnel.

Even three years after a marriage aided by Dhanak, an NGO that acts as a support group for inter-faith couples, the couple is still not on talking terms with their parents. They face prejudice everywhere: while renting a flat, or in office. During a trip to Vaishno Devi, a five-star hotel refused to let them check into a pre-booked room till they saw a marriage certificate.

“We laugh such incidents off. But it hurts when it comes from parents. Our tears and pleas have not changed their mind. So now we have decided ke khush ho kar dekhte hai, shayad khushi se maan jaye (let’s try and convince them with our happiness),” Suaib says.

As the world gets ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day, couples share their stories of romance in the age of rabble-rousers

When the bride’s family screams love jihad

Love jihad was a term Muhammad Anas and Nimisha had heard but never thought would apply to them. The two were in college studying mass communication in north Kerala when they became friends in 2008.


“Ours was not a typical campus love story. I was seriously injured in a bus accident in 2009. I’d graduated from college by then. She motivated me a lot when I was bedridden and that’s how love bloomed,” says Anas, who was her senior at Muslim Education Society College in Nilambur near the Western Ghats.

After he recovered, they decided to marry despite opposition from their communities — but it would be three years before they could tie the knot. “Nimisha’s family alleged ‘love jihad’. Some of them are Sangh Parivar members. They insisted this was an attempt at forced conversion,” says Anas, now 33.

Though there were no open threats, the pressure on Anas to leave Nimisha was high. “They never mentioned it but you could feel the power of the organisation backing them. They sent warnings and veiled threats through people they called mediators to try and scare me into leaving her,” says Anas, who is from an orthodox family in Nilambur.

The couple finally fled and took refuge in a village in Karnataka in October 2012. Nimisha’s family went to the police in their hometown of Vandur, so the couple surrendered before the local court, which allowed them to leave together after receiving an application for marriage.

The next day, Nimisha’s family filed a petition before the Kerala high court saying that Anas had terrorist affiliations and the affair was a case of love jihad. “The allegations were a shock to my family. I decided to fight back,” Anas says.

When Nimisha was produced before the high court, the judge asked her mother if she would consent to Nimisha’s marriage to Anas. Her mother reiterated the allegation of love jihad, so the court directed the Vandur police to provide security and ensure that they were married at the sub-registrar office in Nilambur within a month.

During that month, Anas said he received many threats, and Nimisha was sent to a women’s shelter where she was constantly told not to marry him. “Nimisha stayed strong,” says Anas.

The couple got married at the subregistrar office with police security on November 6, 2012. “My father, mother and sisters were there, but her family refused to come,” says Anas.

A year ago, Nimisha’s parents reconciled with the couple when her brother was getting married. “But my other relatives are still don’t talk to us,” says Nimisha.

The couple has a two-month-old child. “We each follow our own faith and our child will choose her religion once she becomes a major,” says Nimisha.
===================

Why this couple won’t forget their wedding night

VIKRAMJEET & MONIKA

Monika, 32, and Vikramjeet, 35, will never forget their wedding night — they had to scale a wall and run barefoot to a relative’s house in the next village to escape Monika’s furious family.

“We were sleeping at my inlaws’ house in Bijjuwali village when we were woken by shouts. We looked out of the window and saw my brother and a group of young men armed with sticks trying to break into the house,” Monika remembers.

Monika, a Jat, and Vikramjeet, a Dalit, met on a bus when they were students in Haryana’s Sirsa and fell in love. They knew they would draw the wrath of her entire community but decided to risk it.

In 2005, when she was 19 and he 23, they ran away and registered their marriage in a Chandigarh court. Monika’s godara gotra, a dominant Jat sub-caste, was livid and young men from the community threatened the couple as well as tried to intimidate Vikramjeet’s family. The couple has had to change homes several times in the last 12 years to protect their marriage and stay safe.

The couple finally approached the Punjab and Haryana high court, which directed the Haryana police to provide security cover and register an FIR against Monika’s family members.

Monika and Vikramjeet, who have a 10-year-old son, are now settled but they still worry about retaliation. Happy that the Supreme Court recently told khap panchayats not to interfere in marriages, Monika feels the government should do more to encourage inter-caste marriage. “If they are really serious about ending the caste system, they should provide a government job to women who marry outside their caste,” she says.

According to Vikramjeet, it’s important to train local police as they are the first point of contact for the couple and the family. “In our case, police tried to force Monika to return to her parents saying she had brought dishonour to her family.” The police should be more sensitive, he adds.

govt jobs for 10th pass in maharashtra

Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma and Indian skipper Virat Kohli who married in a private ceremony in Italy on December 11, 2017, shocked the entire nation with it when they officially announced their union on their respective social media accounts. According to reports, the couple would now be hosting receptions in Delhi and Mumbai and the invitations for which have been sent out. Apart from a lavish wedding, the couple made sure that their invitation to the do was a class apart. We all got a peek at the 'green' invite, but a recent image doing the rounds goes to reveal minute details of the elaborate card. Anushka and Virat chose the greetings to be set in gold on acrylic with pastel hues and floral as the theme. The invite was paired with handcrafted chocolates and truffles from a boutique along with a sapling as a memento of their ever-growing love. The couple surely knows how to keep things elegant and royal.

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli broke many hearts when they tied the knot on December 11, 2017. After their close-knit wedding in Tuscany, Italy, the couple plans to close their wedding festivities with two receptions- one in New Delhi (Virat's hometown) and the second in Mumbai on December 26. Post their brief honeymoon in Europe, the newlyweds have landed in New Delhi for their wedding reception, which will be held on December 21. Some pictures of Virat and Anushka spending quality time with their close family members have instantly gone viral on social media. In one of the photos, Virat can be seen sporting a sherwani while Anushka looks super cute in a pink suit. The duo seems to be completely lost in each other's eyes.

Here is a look at Anushka Sharma-Virat Kohli's reception invitation

Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma and Indian skipper Virat Kohli who married in a private ceremony in Italy on December 11, 2017, shocked the entire nation with it when they officially announced their union on their respective social media accounts.

According to reports, the couple would now be hosting receptions in Delhi and Mumbai and the invitations for which have been sent out. Apart from a lavish wedding, the couple made sure that their invitation to the do was a class apart.

We all got a peek at the 'green' invite, but a recent image doing the rounds goes to reveal minute details of the elaborate card. Anushka and Virat chose the greetings to be set in gold on acrylic with pastel hues and floral as the theme. The invite was paired with handcrafted chocolates and truffles from a boutique along with a sapling as a memento of their ever-growing love.

The couple surely knows how to keep things elegant and royal.

Virat Kohli - Anushka Sharma's perfect wedding almost had a panic moment!
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Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma got hitched on December 11, 2017, in a hush-hush ceremony in Italy. And soon the pictures of their wedding flooded all over the internet. From the sangeet ceremony, the Mehendi ceremony, Haldi to wedding, everything seemed to be perfect. However, there was one panic moment during the whole process.

According to a report, there was a weather mishap as it was winter in Italy. The wedding planner reportedly said that no one gets married in winter over there. On the morning of the wedding day, everything was frozen and by noon it started dripping. Due to that, the outdoor functions were moved to indoor courtyard.

She added that all the functions were like a typical Indian wedding. The sangeet was on the first day followed by mehndi on the second day. And the mehndi night was supposed to be a bonfire night but it rained. They all huddled around one giant campfire and karaoke was held while everybody was singing.


Newlywed power couple Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma to return to Mumbai tonight from Italy?

Newlyweds Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma who married in a private ceremony in Italy two days ago shocked the entire nation with it when they officially announced their alliance on their respective social media accounts.

Reports suggest that the couple had headed to Rome for a short trip and are speculated to return back to Mumbai tonight. The couple would then head to Delhi where they would be hosting a reception for their families. Reports also suggest that the couple is trying to keep their return under wraps in order to avoid the paparazzi.

The twosome have their professional commitments locked, Anushka will soon be seen in Aanand L Rai's film which also stars Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif and her production 'Pari'.

Anushka Sharma–Virat Kohli honeymooning in Rome, family returns to Mumbai

A blissful wedding week has come to an end for Anushka Sharma, her husband Virat Kohli and their families. With the couple reportedly spending their honeymoon in Rome, their family and close friends, who witnessed the hush-hush nuptials in the Tuscany villa packed their bags and headed back to Mumbai on Wednesday.

Anushka’s family was warmly welcomed by the shutterbugs at the airport. The actress’ parents and brother were clicked as they made their way to their waiting car. Reports suggest that the Sharmas are home early in order to begin preparation for the Mumbai reception, set to take place later this month. Invitations for the same have reportedly been sent out with the star’s father personally calling guests to request their presence on the happy occasion and bless the newly wedded couple.

Anushka and Virat will be hosting a grand reception in Delhi on December 21, followed by a second reception in Mumbai on December 26.

Newlyweds Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma off to Rome for their honeymoon?

The whole country witnessed the spectacle of Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma getting hitched in a secret wedding in Tuscany, Italy. After wrapping up their fairytale nuptials, it seems that the newlyweds are now off for their honeymoon.

According to reports, the couple has now chosen Rome as the perfect destination for their honeymoon. Reports claim that the couple will enjoy a week-long holiday by themselves in the Italian capital. With its rich cultural history and its association with some of the greatest love stories, the place seems apt for 'Virushka'.

Meanwhile, the family is heading back home to begin preparation for the grand receptions set to take place in Delhi and Mumbai later this month.

Pic: Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli enjoy the beautiful landscape of Tuscany post-marriage

Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma and cricketer Virat Kohli got married yesterday after long speculations about their marriage and the news took the entire nation by surprise. Adding to the many pictures and videos of the newlyweds that have gone viral, these pictures of the couple have also made their way online. They can be seen enjoying the beautiful landscape of Tuscany in each other's arms.


The power couple would be hosting two bashes upon their return; one in Delhi on December 21 for their relatives and the other one on December 26 in Mumbai for friends and colleagues.

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli’s wedding pictures to be sold for charity?

After days of intense speculation, Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma tied the knot on Monday in a private ceremony in Tuscany, Italy. The intimate ceremony had their close friends and relatives in attendance.

The power couple finally announced the happy news on their respective Twitter handles by sharing a few pictures from their fairytale wedding ceremony. Reportedly, the inside pictures from the ceremony, as well as those from the pre-wedding rituals, have been sold to a magazine and the proceeds from the sale will go to charity.

The lovely couple hosted a mehendi and sangeet ceremony apart from their engagement and the wedding ceremony.

Both Anushka and Virat, on their wedding day, were seen clad in outfits designed by ace designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. Anushka looked ethereal in a pale pink lehenga with Renaissance embroidery in vintage English colours embellished with silver-gold metal thread, pearls and beads. And Virat looked suave in an ivory raw silk sherwani hand-embroidered in a vintage Benarasi pattern and signature house buttons with an old rose silk kota safa.

Wedding pic: Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma tie the knot

The moment we have all been waiting for has been beautifully captured. The most-awaited wedding of 2017 has finally taken place in Italy. Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma tied the knot in Tuscany, Italy amid dear ones. The private ceremony was graced by close friends and family of the duo and from the looks of it, it seems like a gala affair. The wedding was performed as per Hindu rituals. Ace designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee designed the wedding ensemble for both the bride and the groom. Virat and Anushka will now invite all industry friends and colleagues for the celebrations that are set to happen in Delhi and Mumbai.

Did Jacqueline Fernandez almost confirm Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma’s wedding?

As mystery continues to shroud the developments around Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma’s alleged wedding, Jacqueline Fernandez seems to have given away the news without quite realizing it. At an event, when the actress was reportedly asked how she would like to congratulate Anushka and Virat, Jacqueline couldn’t contain her excitement and after a small ‘happy’ dance, she replied that she is “so so excited” and she thinks it’s amazing news. In the spur of the moment, she said that she is really happy for Anushka and Virat and she can’t wait for it.

When a journalist asked her if she indeed has in a way confirmed the wedding rumours, the actor realised she said more than what she should have. From that point, she did not answer any question posed to her by the mediapersons about the wedding. Reportedly, Kareena Kapoor Khan also refused to speak about it, while Madhuri reportedly said that if and when Anushka and Virat personally inform her about their wedding, she will congratulate them.

Anushka Sharma-Virat Kohli wedding: Everything you need to know

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli are one of the most talked about couples in Tinseltown. Each time the two hit the streets together, their pictures cause a rage on the internet. Well, this is what happens when the nation’s most dapper cricketer is rumoured to be in a romantic relationship with one of the nation’s most enterprising film actresses. Every news development surrounding the two grabs headlines and with rumours of an impending wedding doing the rounds, the excitement of ‘Virushka’ making it official has reached a whole new level.
Rumours of a secret wedding in Italy spread like wildfire in the country as the actress was spotted at the Mumbai airport with her family and their guru, Maharaj Anant Baba. They were reportedly heading for Italy, with Virat scheduled to join them from Delhi.
Here's a roundup of everything you need to know about their hush-hush wedding.

Virat Kohli-Anushka Sharma wedding: Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh only two cricketers attending?

Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma are reportedly getting ready to take the plunge in Italy, in a low-key wedding ceremony. Latest reports confirmed that the couple’s marriage celebrations will be held in Florence and Milan between December 9 and 12. Reports of a luxury hotel confirming elaborate wedding plans have only fueled these speculations.
While details of the wedding have been closely guarded, it has come to light that the couple will exchange their vows in an intimate ceremony, surrounded by their closest friends, family and a few neighbours. While many assumed the entire cricket team will be by their captain’s side as he marries his lady love, reports claim that only Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh have been invited to the do.
Considering the on-going cricket series, and the team set to go up against Sri Lanka in the coming days, their field commitments will keep them miles away. Virat has reportedly taken a break on the series with Sri Lanka and will only join the squad for the South African series, scheduled to be held at the end of the month.
However, the worlds of cricket and Bollywood are set to collide when the couple host a grand reception in Mumbai, later this month. If reports are to be believed, then the entire Indian cricket team, along with film stars like Shah Rukh Khan, director Maneesh Sharma and Anushka’s former co-stars will join in the celebrations.

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli to wed in Italy, confirm reports

Despite keeping mum about their relationship and marriage plans, latest reports have confirmed that Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli will tie the knot in Italy. After the actress was spotted at the Mumbai airport, leaving on a Swiss flight with her family including father Ajay Kumar, mother Ashima and elder brother Karnesh, reports state that the star was heading to Italy where she would be joined by Virat, who reportedly boarded his flight from Delhi.
Sources revealed that the wedding celebrations will be held in Florence and Milan between December 9 and 12.



Virat Kohli takes leave from cricket series

Captain of the Indian Cricket team, Virat Kohli has been keeping busy with the various tournaments. The cricketer has always had a jam-packed schedule, given his responsibilities and commitments to his profession. However, Virat has apparently taken a leave from his cricket series citing personal reasons. The cricketer has taken a break and won't be a part of the T20 or ODIs against Sri Lanka, but will lead the team in the South African series, the report claimed.

Invites sent out to neighbours

When you’re in the show business, your private life inevitably becomes public. Despite staying mum about their relationship status, Anushka and Virat’s highly publicised romance has been playing out in the public eye for all to see. Apparently, a select few close friends, family and neighbours have received wedding invitations for the ceremony that will reportedly be held between December 9 and 12 in Italy. Anushka's father Ajay Kumar Sharma has reportedly been personally calling them and inviting them to attend the ceremony and bless the couple. The family has also allegedly urged their guests to be discreet about the wedding due to the constant media attention surrounding the lovebirds.
Virat has also apparently asked everyone not to disturb his privacy at this moment.

Family Pandit leaves for Italy to conduct a wedding

While rumour hinted at Anushka Sharma leaving with her family for a vacation, the presence of their family Pandit added fuel to an already raging fire about a hush-hush wedding. The last time rumours of a secret engagement did the rounds, images of the alleged couple posing with the pandit flooded online social media sites. Now, his presence at the airport with the Sharma family only fueled these claims. An undisclosed source from the guru's Haridwar ashram said that the Baba is in Europe for a wedding, but didn't divulge whose wedding it was. Another source refused to confirm or deny any details of a wedding.

Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee spotted outside Anushka’s residence

The rumours of a wedding began doing the rounds when fans spotted ace fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee outside Anushka Sharma’s house. According to reports, the famed designer is apparently in charge of her trousseau for her wedding. Many are guessing that the bride-to-be will wear a lehenga from the designer's divine wedding creations.

Draking: The new dating trend among millennials


Social media is used for a lot of things these days. For promotion, to express ideas and beliefs and even validate your looks. But more often than ever, you will find lurkers scrounging for some attention post a heartbreak and going all mush-mellow on the internet. Although both Mostly men, who’ve suffered though an emotional haemorrhage, post relationship, take to the interweb to express their deepest sentiments. Not just on the internet actually; if you’re a revved up modern day Romeo, you’re definitely taking it offline too, just so you can emote your emotional jargon through a song or a dance.

The netherworld of dating and romance has given these cushion-hearted people a name. They’re mostly known as Drakers and what they experience post a break-up is known as Draking, which is another dating trend getting increasingly popular nowadays. Why Draking you ask? Well, because only Drake can make every emotion seem like it’s his last through his songs and these men relate to his songs post a bad break-up. So, if you’re highly emotional post break-up and put up cryptic status messages, which mostly say ‘I am a hot mess and I will never recover from the misery of a breaking heart unless I tattoo your name on it’ you’ve been Draking up a storm.


Let’s make this simpler — when your relationship experience goes awry and you take to the internet to express your sorrow through a social media post, quotes, state of being, how you haven’t eaten in days because you miss your ex, sad songs or pictures where you look like an evolutionary fiasco, you, my friend, are a hardcore Draker, dubbing some hardcore Draking.

Drakers are easily identifiable and we’re pretty sure you have one from your circle of friends. Thankfully, it’s not a lifelong condition. Drakers get better with time and patience, and balance out their emotional vomit quite nonchalantly when they’re happy although secretly they still feel emotional when they hear Drake’s music. What? We said secretly!

Here are some symptomatic hurdles each person faces, if he’s Draking hard...

Are you constantly cueing Drake on your play list?

You make a lot of attempts to seem extra sensitive and caring.

You go overboard with inspirational love soaked quotes on Facebook and Instagram (think Rumi).

You bombard your friends often, through direct messages, with inspirational love quotes and poetry. You are on a roll of self pity and keep complaining about how life has always been unfair to you.

You’re a mess usually. Your hair is all over the place and friends can’t remember the last time they saw you without a guitar and a sad song you’ve been playing off late.

You remove your profile picture from all your social media accounts so that everyone knows you’re absolutely miserable.

You grow that beard ten fold and mope around with an unkempt look. You start your sentences with ‘I don’t believe this is happening to me’ or ‘What have I done to deserve this’.

You make desperate attempts to move on to other women and when you fail, you’re back to moping about life again.

Decoding the process of egg freezing

Having your own baby even at an advanced age is now possible due to egg freezing, which has emerged as an effective option in the last decade. Career oriented women who are busy climbing the corporate ladder, often choose to delay marriage and conception. While the female body and eggs just keep getting older, freezing them can be a practical solution that can give such women a little more time. There is an intricate science behind this fertility preservation method, which is explained by Dr Rajalaxmi Walavalkar (MRCOG DNB FRM FCPS DGO DFP, Consultant Reproductive Medicine and Surgery, Cocoon Fertility).

Why should a woman freeze her eggs?


Egg freezing is the process of retrieving some eggs from your ovaries, freezing and storing them to achieve a pregnancy later on. Egg freezing allows us to preserve our options, when we aren’t ready for babies due to relationships, career, finances or a whole host of other reasons Freezing eggs buys and can give more choices in the future.

How are eggs frozen?

This is a three-step process, which includes:

Stimulation of ovaries with injections to produce many eggs at a time.

Collection of eggs by a short procedure under general anaesthesia lasting 20 minutes. You go back home the same day.

Freezing and storage of the eggs, which happens by vitrification using liquid nitrogen at minus 196 degree celsius.

How can one find out if there are eggs to freeze?

A blood test for AMH and an ultrasound scan for antral follicle count gives us an idea of the ovarian reserve. Ovarian reserve depends on the risk of premature menopause, ovarian and conditions like ovarian cysts and endometriosis. Ovarian reserve declines with age so the earlier it’s done the better it is. The ideal age would be from mid-20s the early 30s.

How many eggs can/ should be frozen?

This depends on the woman’s age and egg reserve. The survival rate for eggs by vitrification method is around 80 per cent. If you freeze 12 eggs, eight or nine eggs are expected to survive. So, generally, the more we have to freeze, the better.

How long can the eggs be frozen for?

Scientifically speaking, indefinitely. Around 2,000 healthy babies have been born worldwide from frozen eggs, the longest reported being after 14 years. Health or viability of frozen eggs does not decrease over time. In fact, eggs are frozen and thawed in a high-quality lab, and have the same potential to form a healthy baby as eggs from a fresh cycle.

How does one prepare for egg freezing?

There is no a specific egg freezing diet. The ‘don’t’ list includes caffeine, alcohol, complex carbohydrates and cigarettes. The ‘do’ list includes a well-balanced diet rich in proteins and vitamin supplements.

Is there an age cutoff limit for egg freezing?

There is no specific age cut off limit. The earlier one freezes, the better. Typically, eggs should be frozen before the age of 35. Freezing may be done later, too, in case the hormone levels and antral follicle count are good.

Should one freeze eggs or embryos?

This decision hinges on several factors. Embryo freezing is a 30-yearold procedure; egg freezing is a recent advance. Current data suggests that both are equally efficacious. If a woman isn’t married and not interested in donor sperm, egg freezing is the option. If a woman is in a stable relationship, freezing embryos is the better alternative.

Where: Cocoon Fertility.

Call: 9833310310.

E-mail: info@cocoonfertility.com

www.cocoonfertility.com

(*Procedures given are based on the expert’s understanding of the said field)

‘In a marriage, one needs to know what not to do’

...says Siddhaanth Surryavanshi, who will tie the knot with model Alesia Raut tomorrow

Siddhaanth Surryavanshi and Alesia Raut

Siddhaanth Surryavanshi couldn’t have asked for a better companion than model Alesia Raut. In his own words, they are always on the same page. The couple, who got engaged on April 21, are all set to walk down the aisle tomorrow (November 23). While the haldi and mehendi ceremonies will take place today (November 22), the reception will be held a day after the wedding.

The actor and his wife-to-be are still busy with the preparations. Siddhaanth tells us, “We have been so caught up with our professional commitments that I am yet to get my wedding attire and shoes. Fortunately, the North Indian dulha is dressed in sherwanis and kurtas that hide the flab, so I am gladly devouring sweets and oily food. My trainer has given up on me and I have told him that I will seek his help to shed my post-wedding fat.”


This being a second marriage for both of them, Siddhaanth is determined to not repeat the mistakes of his first marriage. He says, “It won’t be fair to speak about my first marriage as my first wife is still a friend and we parted ways amicably. However, one needs to know what not to do. Responding impulsively affects relationships, so I have decided to stop doing that. Alesia and I want to make our relationship a fulfilling one. Fortunately, we think alike.”

What also works for this couple is that Alesia understands Siddhaanth’s erratic work schedule; she even arranged their prewedding photo shoot during an event he was hosting in Udaipur. He tells us, “Experience makes a man wiser and I have decided to let my wife take the lead (laughs). It simplifies things. If things fall in place, she walks away with all the accolades and if they don’t, nobody can point fingers at me. But Alesia has been very sweet. She managed to arrange everything according to my schedule.”

Siddhaanth and Alesia’s children — daughter Diza and son Mark, respectively — from their first marriages, are also partaking in the festivities. However, the big day is no excuse for them to bunk their schools. Siddhaanth tells us, “They have also practised a dance performance for us. While my daughter has been insisting on taking leave from school on the D-Day, I have refused. However, I feel I will relent eventually.”