Destined to be

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

Mumbai-based entrepreneur Akshit Mehta and his significant half Karishma, an interior designer by profession are currently in the most exciting phase of their lives: handling an expanding business (Vorq Space, Coworking Spaces) as well as the demands of new parenthood what with their 13-month bundle of joy, Ayantika taking centre stage. Starting off as school friends this is clearly a relationship that has progressed to different levels

Hand in hand: Akshit and Karishma
on holiday

Even as childhood friends turned sweethearts pondered over the feasibility of taking their relationship forward, they wondered how to approach their families given that they both belonged to different sub-castes of Rajasthan. As things stand, interclan matches even within the Marwari community are not always the done thing. Meanwhile, a mediator pitched for another suitable match for Akshit. The family approved and broached the topic with Akshit. “Despite not being particularly interested, I decided to check out the girl’s profile out of curiosity. To my utter surprise, it was Karishma,” says Akshit.

That just about settled it for him. After all, their paths had more or less followed a simi-lar trajectory since childhood. “We had gone to the same school in Breach Candy, namely Greenlawns High School. I was slated to study law at Manchester but later decided to pursue it at Pune’s ILS Law College. At around the same time, she was attending Manchester University too in pursuit of her finance degree,” he elabo-rates. “We had several common friends and I quite liked her.”

The cementing factor in their relationship, according to Karishma, is the fact that they are such opposites. “Simply put, we complement each other,” she says. “I am calm and patient, he is aggressive and spontaneous. Our combined synergy works well.”

Still, they were worried about how to ap-proach their families when the situation resolved itself. “The very fact that the prospect of me as a bride for Akshit had been accepted by his family unknown to both of us was all the indication we needed that we were meant to be together. Why else would our paths keep crossing?” she says.

A formal six-month courtship followed years of informally knowing each other. The duo was formally wed in 2013.

“We have three spaces as of today: Andheri, Lower Parel and Kala Ghoda. We rent a done up and fully equipped plush space to both individuals and teams”

- Akshit

A couple that works and holidays together

The building blocks of a marriage and a new business

Despite the fact that he had a law degree and had a family real estate business to look forward to, Akshit had entrepreneurial dreams of his own. “The whole notion of buying land, making and selling flats is a long-winded one. Besides, it never quite appealed to me. I wanted to do something different,” he reminisces.

It was Karishma who came up with the idea of shared workspaces. “In a city like Mumbai, it was clearly an idea whose time had come,” he says. Convinced, he decided there was no time to be lost.

“I asked her if she would do up the office space within 28 days, as I wanted to launch Vorq Space ASAP. She took up the challenge and delivered on it,” he says. (Just like Akshit, Karishma’s heart lay in a direction other than her core expertise, finance. On her return to Mumbai she trained as an interior designer and took that up as a profession.)

Since that first day in 2016, Vorq Space has gone from strength to strength on the backdrop of an ever-growing demand. “We have three spaces as of today: Andheri, Lower Parel and Kala Ghoda. We rent a done up and fully equipped plush space to both individuals and teams,” he says.

Apart from Vorq Spaces, Akshit is also the Indian face of the International concept “Fuckup Nights Mumbai,” an interesting concept that has people getting together to share their most significant failures. This programme has found many takers as it basically helps people and communities support and learn from each other, share and celebrate failure.

On her part, Karishma works with him as and when required, though she has other clients as well. With the birth of their baby girl Ayantika, her hands are full.

But living in a joint family works well. “I never have to worry as to who is going to look after my baby,” she says. “Everyone is super considerate and invested in taking care of Ayantika and works their schedule around mine. This gives me the leeway to go on-site, attend client meets and so on.”

Apart from having a loving mother and mother-in-law, it certainly helps that Karishma’s sister is married to Akshit’s brother. “Thus the support system at home is solid,” she says. “Resources, be it in terms of time and effort are multiplied and problems are halved.”

Having been married for seven years, what according to them, are the mainstay of a relationship? “I would say it is important to respect each others’ dreams and support each other,” says Akshit. “Also, it is critical to keep your professional issues and personal space separate when you are working together. It’s not always easily done, but it is essential,” he expresses.

Meanwhile, Karishma believes relationships work when both draw on each other’s strengths and help minimise each other’s drawbacks. “All partnerships work that way,” she says.

Like every married couple, they have their share of fights. So how they resolve them? “Very simple really. I apologise and all is well with the world again,” laughs Akshit. “This makes sense since I am the hot-tempered one and usually the origin of the argument.”

Quality time for the young couple includes watching mov-ies, going out on long drives and having long conversations. “Considering the fact that we live in Mumbai, the chats usually happen in the car in slow-moving traffic,” he grins.

“In the Marwari community, respect is the key to everything. Respecting elders and observing one’s sanskaars are a beautiful way forward”

- Karishma

The mantras of marriage

• Keeping work and home separate
• Maintaining strong bonds within the family
• Respect
• Sharing the responsi-bilities of parenting

Bringing up baby

Both Akshit and Karishma believe in being hands on parents with little Ayantika. That, and working around her. “We don’t like the idea of a maid handling our little one. We want to feed, bathe and play with her ourselves. It is tough but manageable,” he says. He is also particular about letting baby experiment with her surroundings and finding her own way. “Each day, she is learning something new. The curiosity that is inherent to a child must be nurtured. As long as she isn’t harming herself, it is a good idea not to overprotect her.”

Karishma says that while they fully intend letting the baby be her own little person, and follow her dreams, outlining boundaries is basic. “Ground rules need to be established as to how far she can go. I want her to understand the value of relationships and work towards sustaining them. Adjustment, compromise and diplomacy are good qualities to have,” says the fond mama. “In the Marwari community, respect is the key to everything. Respecting elders and observing one’s sanskaars are a beautiful way forward,” she rounds off.