Divine Introductions


(Picture: Ranjit and me at Extreme Sports Bar (I think) a few months ago)

Raunak was born 3 years after Ranjit and I got married, and by then we were were a well settled 'joint family'. We had just bought a new dining table and were having our first dinner on it when my father-in-law remembered a funny anecdote about a little girl that happened many years ago.

After joining Railways, my father-in-law retired from playing professional football and athletics. Though he had a busy life with his job and family, for the love of sports, he took up the role of overseeing the running the sports facility of Railways in Hyderabad (called the RRC grounds).

One day, he said, he was watching the early morning practice of the athletes and he saw a 5 year old girl quietly walk into his office. When she thought no one was watching her, she tried to make a call from his phone. Those were the days when phones were rare and he knew kids were quite fascinated with them. He thought he would frighten the girl a bit, and walking into his room, asked her in a stern loud voice why she was using the phone without taking permission. The girl saw this 6 1/2 feet tall man catching her red handed and fainted out of fear. He freaked out, took her to the resident nurse, called up her parents, apologized profusely and vowed never to frighten children again. After this, he said "I always wondered where that girl would be now and if she remembers me" and Ranjit said "That girl got married to your youngest son and is having dinner with you now". That little girl was me :) and that must be a divine introduction to his future daughter-in-law.

I met Ranjit 10 years after that incident and another 3 years later when we decided to get married, he showed me the picture of his family. One look at his dad and I said "Oh my God! Don't tell me he is your father. There is no way I am going to marry you now!" :)

Other posts from this theme of my life, family, and love are under the label 'My Love Story'