A heart to heart communication

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 seven years, Pune based corporate professionals, Jeenal and Samit Hemnaney, believe in the age old values of communication, courtesy and care, to keep home and hearth warm and welcoming

There’s an old-world charm to this new age couple’s relationship. A charm that reveals itself in ways big and small; in the fact that they still exchange hand-written letters (seven years post-marriage) to discuss their feelings in the store they set by the institution of family, in their abiding respect for each other’s traditions and rituals (she’s a Marwari Jain; he a Sindhi.)

This, despite the rough and tumble of their respective professions and demanding schedules and weekend leaves that refuse to overlap. But, as both Jeenal and Samit believe, where there’s a will to find the time and space to communicate and bond with one’s partner, there’s a definite way.

Back to the beginning

This love story was scripted in the first few days of the induction cum training for their first job. While Jeenal is a Pune girl through and through, Samit had first come to the city for his MBA and then continued his career in the city. As it happened both had been picked up by Amanora Town Park for their new sales team, as the project needed young blood to get it going. Like the saying goes, first impressions count and how!

While Jeenal remembers being awe-struck by the good looking guy with the easy confidence and relaxed manner, he was charmed by the simplicity and sincerity of “this young, bespectacled salwar kameez clad girl seated on the first bench of the class, taking down note after note.”

Impressed though she was, Jeenal thought it a good idea to put him out of her mind because she was convinced that the handsome, strapping Samit with a modelling background to boost was “way out of her league.”

Clearly, beauty lies in the eye of the beholder because Samit, on his part, was touched by the lady’s sheer innocence and simplicity. “You see, a person’s innate personality has always mattered to me,” he says.

And that’s how Jeenal started receiving these friendly texts from a “guy at work.” Flattered at the interest, she nevertheless, did not for a minute think it was Samit.

But turns out it was.

Gradually, conversations over coffee and long heart to hearts became the order of the day, even as Samit started to drop her back from work

However, Jeenal’s family members were none too pleased given the differences in their cultural setup. “My parents had solid reservations about the wisdom of the match. They wondered how I would adjust given the differences,” reminisces Jeenal. However, Samit’s parents had a far more relaxed approach towards the alliance as they were no strangers to inter-caste alliances in the family.

Patience and waiting out had the desired effect. Both sets of parents duly gave them their blessings and they were wed in 2013.

"He is a man of few words whereas I am communicative and talkative. Marriage, at the end of the day, is about using each other’s strengths to the betterment of the unit”

- Jeenal

THE MANTRAS OF MARRIAGE

• Respect
• Trust
• Communication
• Not letting fights fester

The building blocks of a relationship

Post-marriage, the couple has chosen to live in Pune, given the city’s potential and prospects for growth. From the beginning, it has been a nuclear set up, with both sets of parents choosing to visit them from time to time. While Samit is currently employed with Sobha Developers as head of sales, Jeenal has recently made the transition from media to education in her recent stint as AVP, operations, Kolte Patil Foundation.

So, how tough has it been for Jeenal to adjust in a completely different home? “Honestly, it hasn’t been that much of an issue. My in-laws have been warm and welcoming from the outset. They have never imposed anything on me. However, I happen to be a traditional person at heart with a deep-seated belief in God and enjoy the poojas and rituals,” she expresses. “It also helps that I am basically an accommodating person who likes to look at things from the other’s point of view.”

What’s more, the couple’s differences have only gone a long way in cementing the relationship. “He is meticulous, logical and wellplanned, while I am spontaneous and emotional. He is a man of few words whereas I am communicative and talkative. But marriage, at the end of the day, is about using each other’s strengths to the betterment of the unit,” she says.

Samit is equally appreciative of his wife’s innate qualities. “She is honest and pure at heart. It is very rare to find human beings like that these days,” he says.

Quality time together consists of cooking up interesting new dishes together, long drives and trying out new cuisines as both are committed foodies.

Apart from this, Jeenal is thrilled about having a partner who is hugely supportive of her writing ambitions and encourages her to keep her blog up and working. “I am also an inveterate writer of letters, choosing to write about every little thing that happens in our lives. I think this is what keeps the relationship fresh,” she says.

Samit would agree. “Communication is the cornerstone of a marriage,” he says simply. “This is all the more important given the long hours we keep at work, the multiple pressures of modern-day life.”

Considering they have been married for seven years, what are the pillars of a marriage as per them? Both unambiguously root for respect and trust as the very foundation of a home. “When you have that, everything else falls into place,” they say.

Like every young couple, fights happen. “But the trick is not to go to bed angry,” says Jeenal. “The relationship, at the end of the day, is more important than scoring a point or having the last word,” she says.

Bringing up baby (hopefully soon.)

So yes, they have had the talk about expanding their family. “Kids are not important in everyone’s life,” concedes Jeenal. “But that’s not the case with us. We both want a little one of our own and have even decided on the name,” she grins. “It will happen when it has to, though.”