“Home is a person and not a place”

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

Some varied interests and some common ground; a bit of space and lots of support. In short, that’s Prineet Grewal and Angad Pathania for you. Married for seven years, yet having dated since school, this is a relationship that has gone from strength to strength. While Prineet is currently employed as HR manager with John Deere, Pune, Angad is National Head (Payment) for Bajaj Finserv. Amidst all this, Prineet has also enjoyed a serious stint as a model, starting with having won the Mrs India Earth title for 2016. Cheering her on is none other than proud husband Angad

As a Head girl of her school in Vadodara, Prineet Grewal was used to being disturbed in the middle of class by fellow students and teachers alike for this, that or the other. After all, being an office bearer entailed serious responsibilities.

Naturally then, she thought nothing of it when Angad Pathania, her long-standing batch mate from the science stream, asked the Maths teacher if he could call her out of class for a minute or two.

An unusual choice of timing to propose to the girl he liked but then school romances are known to be like that. Spontaneous, mushy and all things irrational. Then again, maybe not.

“I loved her zest for life; her enthusiasm and strong resolve,” reminisces Angad. “Plus she was a lot of fun and I thought she was perfect for me.”

It helped that they had a lot in common: an extended circle of friends backgrounds steeped in the defence, the fact that Angad’s twin was Head boy with Prineet and knew her well, not to mention that they were both all-rounders in all that they took up.

Even so, it was just Std. XI and the relationship was very much in the moment. “It was only when we both got admission to Pune’s Symbiosis for our MBA programmes did we really get a taste of what a responsible adult relationship feels like.” shares Prineet. “From the initial cultural shock to the rigours of an MBA programme to falling in love with Pune, we went through it all.”

So when the duo finally tied the knot about seven years ago, it was a no-brainer. “Our families knew each other. What’s more, Prineet shared a bond with my mom and brother, not to mention that sensitive moment when she donated blood to my granddad before his operation,” says Angad.

"The most wonderful feeling is to have that someone special waiting for you. Home is a person and not a place"

- Prineet

A corporate professional through and through, Prineet was never
the less, keen to give modeling a shot. She was successful beyond
her dreams, winning the Mrs India Earth pageant 2016 in New Delhi

THE MANTRAS OF MARRIAGE

• Space
• Respecting and supporting each other’s dreams
• Friendship and conversation.
• Respecting differences

Their shared army background and years
together, first in school and then in college,
give Angad and Prineet the advantage of a
marriage rooted in a long standing friendship

The building blocks of a marriage

As is the case of every relationship, this one too went through its ups and downs. Even so, adjustment wasn’t that hard. Their shared fauji roots (while Prineet’s dad isn’t in the army, the rest of her family is, thereby giving her a flavour of defence culture), the commonalities between her Punjabi background and his Himachali (pahadi) roots worked in their favour. But, admits, Prineet, marriage is a whole new ball game. “Sure, both Angad and I go way back together. But seeing each other for a couple of hours each day, and actually living together are two different things. I would say we are better friends today. Marriage teaches you to really pull on together”, she says.

The trick, says, Angad is for two people to avoid losing it at the same time. “It is always better to take a back-seat at that particular moment when the other is upset. Luckily, we don’t fight a lot. Space is a big plus in any relationship; while it’s great to be a couple, it’s equally important not to lose your individuality either,” he expresses.

“We both have varied interests of which the other one is really supportive. For example, he is a keen drummer and sportsman, apart from having been a good elocutionist in school. On my part, I always wanted to try my hand at modeling. Call it curiosity or whatever, I really wanted to seriously give it a shot,” says Prineet.

In his own words, Angad was pretty gung-ho about her taking the plunge and rooted for her all the way. “I was confident that she would do well. She has great commitment and gives her all to anything that she takes up,” he says.

The turning point came when she participated in the Mrs India Earth pageant 2016 in New Delhi. “No, I did not expect to win,” she grins. “There were so many pretty and accomplished women out there, but ultimately, a pageant is about your overall personality and confidence.”

Along with the crown came a host of modeling offers that she was happy to take up. “It was a whole new exposure and I really cherished every moment. The learnings have been many. But three years down the line, I realized it was stressful to manage modeling gigs with a fulltime corporate career. So I have decided to tone them down,” she says.

As of today, life is hectic but happy. Both are particular about not bringing work home and zealously guard every moment they get together- be it by way of shopping or going to the gym. “One thing we really have in common is our shared passion for fitness,” says Prineet. “We are particular about hitting the gym between 7:30 and 9 PM each day. Exercise is not only a terrific stress-buster but also helps us bond together.”

Quality time also consists of a close-knit set of friends, and the annual vacation they take totogether. Both love travelling and make it a point to visit a new place whenever they can.

“At the end of the day, the most wonderful feeling is to have that someone special waiting for you. Truth be told, home is a person and not a place,” says Prineet.

Bringing up babies? not just yet

Like every couple that has been together for a while, Prineet and Angad get asked this rather personal question-quite a lot. “It will happen only when we are ready for it not because it is expected of us and certainly not because it’s the done thing to do. A baby is a huge step and a couple must walk in that direction only when they are ready for it-no other reason,” says Prineet.

Respect and loyalty are not bonus points but a must in any relationship, says Prineet. “When you have that, everything else falls into place.”