It is not often these days that a college romance fructifies into wedlock. Corporate Citizen unlocks the story of love that has culminated into marriage, for we believe in the stability of a relationship and family unit. We bring to you real-life romances that got sealed in marriage
Venture Capitalists and entrepreneurs Pratibhaa and Sanjay Siriah recently completed 25 years of marriage. A successful team both at home and work, the mantra for a successful innings, they say, is the same for both life and love-complementing each other's weaknesses and celebrating the strengths. Something a generation, increasingly low on tolerance, would do well to remember
When 21-year-old Sanjay asked the 17-year-old Pratibhaa if she'd care to partner him in a badminton's double match, little did he know that it would be the beginning of a lifetime's innings.
Young as they were, they understood the importance of patience and timing. "I first completed my BAMS degree," says Pratibhaa, an ayurvedic practitioner, "whereas he, an electronics graduate and subsequent IIM pass out managed to secure a good job with Birla."
There wasn't much objection from his family, but hers was not pleased. "He is a Rajput from Solapur, and I, a Maharashtrian Brahmin from Nagpur. No one in my family had married outside the community. Besides, being the youngest of six siblings, I was pampered and protected. This was not expected of me," she says.
However, as they observed him carefully, the Tirthagarikar family found there wasn't much to object to. The young couple were finally wed in 1991-after a good five years of courtship-with everyone's blessings. "
As things stand today, my family tells me they couldn't have found themselves a better sonin- law, no matter how hard they had searched," smiles Pratibhaa.
"We both have our strengths. I am the marketing person, whereas she is the implementer. That's how it should be in any relationship—each person maximizing their respective strength to the betterment of each other and their shared goals"- Sanjay Siriah
For several years post-marriage, Sanjay worked with Orient Cement in Jalgaon and Pratibhaa juggled home and their two boys Yash and Harsh (now 21 and 17 respectively) along with her clinic. "After a point, it became difficult to manage so much. The boys were young and needed me more, so with a heavy heart, I decided to give it up," she says. Nevertheless, her active and energetic mind ensured she got involved in several socio-cultural and educational activities pertaining to women under the aegis of the JCI, a social club. "I trained as a national trainer for personality development and learnt to reach out to women from different walks of life," she adds. Over the years, she conducted several soft skills programmes. That opened new avenues for her after the family shifted to Pune in 2007. Today, Pratibhaa successfully manages the Elite Homes, a plush hostel service for women. "I noticed that women students and professionals have their unique requirements, which despite paying high rents, they don't seem to achieve. The Elite Homes serves to bridge the gap and allows them to live safely and comfortably in Pune," she says.
On the anvil are plans to open 18 studio apartments for women. "They are currently under construction," she says. While construction and development of projects are Sanjay's departments, he leaves running and implementation to Pratibhaa, who, he says, is a meticulous planner. That's not all. He runs his own composite manufacturing factory called ACES in Pirangut, apart from their own Production House, Blue Fox Entertainment and a YouTube Channel "Uncensored", given the couple's joint passion for Marathi cinema. Besides, they have built Landmark, a corporate tower in Jalgaon. Future projects include Elite Age-care, an exclusive stay for senior citizens and a Wellness Centre. The couple divides their time between the factory at Pirangut, office in Vanaz on Paud road and the office for Elite Associates at Deccan Gymkhana. It's hectic, but they wouldn't have it any other way.
"My only regret is that I started entrepreneurship after 25 years of a job. But the younger generation must not wait. As an ardent Nationalist, I urge millennials to look at ways and means to emerge as employment generators, instead of being employees all their lives," says Sanjay. "That's a fine contributions to society." Pratibhaa would concur whole-heartedly.
In all business endeavours, Sanjay has been ably partnered by Pratibhaa. "We both have our strengths. I am the marketing person, and she is the implementer," he says. "That's how it should be in any relationship-each person maximizing strength for betterment of each other and shared goals."
Both are suitably appreciative about the other. "He is hugely positive, hard-working with a never-say-die attitude," says Pratibhaa. "Coming from a service background, business and entrepreneurship were new territories for me. But he motivated me to try out newer things." On his part, he loves her honesty and sincerity in all that she undertakes. "That is one attitude that stands a person in good stead throughout their life," he says.
In retrospect, though, was it a good decision to have married so early? " Yes, because we have grown together," he says. Besides, both complement each other well. "After so many years together, 25 years of marriage and nine years before that, we can't do without each other," she chips in.
A shared passion for cinema, music, sports and travel binds the two. "We must have travelled to at least 30 countries together. And, we both love to sing and watch movies," she says. Little moments add up to the picture. "Being an outdoor person with a passion for trekking and cycling, I brought in my 49th birthday recently with a cycling trip to Lonavla. But he was there-following me in a car-making sure he was there in case I needed anything," says Pratibhha.
Parenting is another arena of teamwork for a couple-and here too, they have been in sync. "All the men in my family, I am proud to say, are independent and hands-on when it comes to handling domestic chores. This gives me a lot of breathing space,"she says. "My children have been brought up to be self-sufficient and responsible and Sanjay has helped make them that way. Despite being so busy, he's a complete family man and we make it a point to eat at least one meal together."
At 49 and 54 years respectively, Pratibhha and Sanjay are at a stage, where apart from work, life is all about savouring moments-outings with friends, making movies they believe in and taking up projects that motivate them. "At the core of everything though, are respect and belief in one's partner," says Sanjay.
Given the rough and tumble of the IT/Corporate world and the fact that marriages don't seem to last very long, what advice would he give to younger couples? "There is no doubt that the work pressures faced by young corporate professionals are pretty high. Both work long hours, and the competition is immense. In such a scenario, the personal relationship between the couple is the first to get compromised. However, like everything of value, relationships take time and effort. It is up to each couple as to how they'd like to prioritise their life and work." Thus, conflict management is an important arena of control if the relationship is to go forward.
by Kalyani Sardesai
