Dear Friends, Lakshmi and I matched on Shaadi.com in June 2019 and we knew we were on to something special, from the very beginning. Hailing from two different cities, myself from Chennai and she from Ahmedabad, we knew there would be a few formidable geographic hurdles to deal with. To top it off, we worked in sectors that came with their own separate time zones - govt service and journalism. Having said that, we were keen to pursue our potential, with some persistence and good humour, to boot. We knew that communicating in an honest, open and forthright manner was imperative. Everything we were made of - our values, our culture, our histories, our likes, our dislikes, our reservations, our fears, our hopes, our aspirations, our collective dreams for the future, were part of our conversations. We primed ourselves, at times unwittingly for the hard conversations, ones that often make for silent contemplation. But through these inquiries into our personalities, which we tempered with love, camaraderie, good cheer and reaffirmation, we found the light of companionship. We made time for each other - to travel, to explore and to understand. Every rendezvous offered us avenues to discover something new and rediscover something old about each other. We were engaged in Oct 2019. And we look forward to beginning our life together in a few months from now. Our parents, siblings, cousins, families, friends, and well wishers who stood by us, not to forget, Shaadi.com - we thank you. Glad you stopped by and took time out to read our story. We hope you find your match and your friend for life here - and we hope you work on making the most of your relationship, built on a framework of mutual respect, compassion and above all, love. Like Chris Martin from Coldplay sings, "As we soar walls, every siren is a symphony, And every tear's a waterfall."