The Wind beneath my Wings

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

Married for five years and having dated for a decade before that, Nupur Chaudhuri and Ashwin Shetty are a testament to the solid ground established by shared values and never mind the different professional training or cultural differences. Despite being a media woman, to begin with, Nupur gradually switched tracks towards restaurant entrepreneurship with Mr. Rabbit’s Bar and Burrow, an initiative by Ashwin’s family. Apart from managing this much loved multi-cuisine restaurant, this Pune-based couple also bonds majorly over fitness

When journalist Nupur Chaudhuri first went to write a food review for his restaurant, Ashwin’s words to his friends couldn’t have been more prophetic. What’s more, they didn’t have much to do with food either. “That’s a pretty girl. Interesting too. One day, I will date her,” he said confidently. One thing led to another and well, that’s exactly what happened. From the beginning, the budding young media professional and passionate restaurateur cum chef (his family owns the famous Amrapali restaurant in Pune) had much to talk about.

“We just got on seamlessly,” reminisces Ashwin. “I liked her energy, the fact that she is so independent and has a mind of her own. There was no pettiness about her, no tiny insecurities that mar the early stages of a relationship. In short, I guess, we were just meant to be.”

On her part, the friendly but strong-minded Nupur always wanted a man to respect her for the person that she was and care for her. Ashwin fulfilled the wish list easily. “Simple things tell you all you need to know about the person,” she says. “For instance, I remember, on one of our initial dates, I had a handbag with me. When we got up to leave, he picked up the bag from the chair and carried it till the car, without any qualms of holding a woman’s bag. I found that confidence quite impressive because guys usually hate to do such things for girls,” she smiles.

Both professionally qualified and self-sufficient from an early age, there was much compatible ground: He’s a hotel management graduate who has also done his basic chef ’s training at the Taj Catering College, Aurangabad, whereas she’s a journalism post-graduate. He’s a South Indian, whereas she’s a Punjabi-Bengali. On their part, both sets of parents couldn’t have been happier. The families were similarly open-minded and liberal and intercultural marriages were no big deal.

“Besides, we had both made it a point to get to know each other’s families well,” says Nupur. “Neither of us is the kind to hide a relationship from our loved ones.”

And so the duo was wed amidst much celebration and revelry.

The Mantras of Marriage

• Respect
• Trust
• Supporting each other through thick and thin
• Not taking each other for granted

The building blocks of a marriage

Having dated for so long, the comfort zone that a long-standing friendship inevitably brings was already well-established between the couple. “Post marriage, I shared a home with my mother-in-law and brother-in-law,” says Nupur. “But it wasn’t a tough prospect at all. I am one lucky girl-they both went out of their way to make sure I was comfortable and cared for and solicitous of my every need.”

She also credits Ashwin with giving her the credit to pursue her dreams fearlessly. “For instance, I had always wanted to learn how to make beautiful, hand-made shoes, which to my mind are a fabulous art form. But people around me were sceptical; I was already a journalist, well-established in my career. Why would I want to switch paths mid-stream, they wondered.”

But Ashwin was firm on pursuing her dream. “I did not want her to have any regrets later on,” he said. Nupur sums up his support in a sentence. “He is the wind beneath my wings,” she says succinctly. “With him around, I have the courage to go all out and follow my heart.”

Thus began Nupur’s tryst with entrepreneurship. “I learnt how to make shoes and established my label. It gained quite a bit of traction with shoe lovers in the city,” she says.

However, as circumstances would have it, Ashwin’s family opened a new restaurant: the unique Mr. Rabbit’s Bar and Burrow with an eclectic mix of Asian and Continental food but with a special accent on Keralite and Mangalorean recipes, which are Ashwin’s mother’s speciality.

“It’s been two years now and the response has been amazing. All of us have different roles to play and it has been a wonderful experience despite the competition and obstacles that inevitably crop up,” says Ashwin. “The trick is to take one day at a time and one problem at one go. Don’t over think, don’t stress.”

Given the fact that the two work together, how much of a challenge is it to separate their personal life from professional pressures? “It is very essential that we do so,” agrees Nupur. “In the early days, we’d discuss all that had happened during the day, customer feedback, incidents and so on. We realised it wasn’t helping us and we would consciously steer the conversation back to our other common interests: animals and fitness.”

“Both of us are fitness fanatics and spending time at the gym or doing acro-yoga, is a great stress buster. It also gives us quality time together,” says Ashwin.

Meanwhile, Nupur is also heavily into pole fitness and conducts classes for the same. “It is hectic but I love the buzz,” she says.

I learnt how to make shoes and established my label. It gained quite a bit of traction with shoe lovers in the city

- Nupur

The couple that exercises
together...stays fit together

On bringing up their kind of babies

From the outset, the couple was quite clear about the fact that while they both loved kids, neither actually wanted to have their own. “There has been no ambiguity on that score from either of our sides,” says Nupur.

This is not to say they are ever lonely. “We both love animals and we have adopted a total of six dogs at our two restaurants. They are our babies. We also try and help out any animal that is in distress. Nupur, especially, is always going out of her way to tend to abandoned or hurt animals and that’s just so fulfilling in every way,” says Ashwin.

At the end of the day, both root for trust and respect as the cornerstone of their relationship. “You may not agree with everything your partner says or does. But it is important to respect their viewpoint and trust their judgment,” says Ashwin.

Possibly one of the reasons that they don’t seem to have major fights. “Sure, we do differ on certain subjects. But not a lot. We talk things through and are particular about bringing things back to normal,” he expresses.

Over and above all else, Nupur is a firm believer in celebrating both the little and big moments. “This is so very necessary to keep the spark alive. Never take your loved one for granted. Make the effort to make them feel special and loved, irrespective of how many years you’ve been together,” rounds off Nupur.