Say (double) cheese!

Radio jockey Meenal, and her significant half Vikrant Patil, a marine engineer by profession, believe communication, clarity and loyalty can easily overcome the rough and tumbles of a long-distance marriage

Anyone who’s tuned into Pune’s popular FM station Radio One would be familiar with the ‘ladki kamal’ RJ Meenal and her trademark effervescence. Not to forget her boundless energy.

And hard as it sounds, she who has been blessed with the gift of the gab as few others have, has actually managed to find herself a life partner even more talkative than herself. “My friends and family found the demand odd-why would I want to find someone like that given how much I speak!” she grins. “But what I was actually looking at was a man who would communicate easily and clearly as that makes life so much simpler,” she grins.

Enter Vikrant Patil, a seafarer and marine engineer. You’d think a man away from civilisation for up to six months a year would be the silent, brooding type. Hah and double hah. “The first time we met, we were introduced by common friends at a coffee shop, we chatted from morning to evening,” says Meenal.

While reams of prose have been dedicated to the magnetism of unlike poles attracting, there’s much to be said for like attracting like. Meenal couldn’t agree more. “The conversation flows easily; you enjoy doing things together and the companionship is the best,” she says. The fact that the two personalities are an extension of the other’s is a plus. “If I am energetic, he is hyper-energetic. If I am a travel mad, he is doubly so. If I am a people’s person, why, he’s a warm and social host to one and all,” she says.

Err, but what about that about her finding him to be a show-off at first count? A loud guffaw-and then follows the answer.

“Whatever you would say, he had a story to top that,” she shakes her head. But as the conversation continued, she loved him for his intelligence, his well-read ways and his sheer lack of pretence. “He is what he is,” says Meenal.

On his part, Vikrant admires her for her independence and confidence. “She is utterly confident in her own skin, knows what she wants, is aggressive in a very constructive way and quite the go-getter,” he says. “The lack of self-doubt and endless stores of positive energy are just so refreshing.”

Despite getting along so well on the first date, Meenal and Vikrant opted for a long courtship-three years to be precise. “It was important for both of us to know each other well, and be in love with the other person before committing to a lifetime,” says Meenal.

Luckily, as the equation progressed, the pros far outweighed the cons. “We are friends and buddies first and foremost,” says Vikrant. “This does go a long way in ironing out differences.”

"She is adventurous, fun and absolutely game to take on a few hardships in her stride. This makes her the best travel buddy"

- Vikrant

THE MANTRAS OF A MARRIAGE

• Conversation and communication
• Spending time pursuing common interests
• Loyalty
• Care and consideration

Miles of smiles: Meenal and Vikrant

THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF A (LONG-DISTANCE) MARRIAGE

“Honestly speaking, before I met Vikrant, there’s no way I could have actually envisaged myself saying yes to an officer in the Merchant Navy. What, I would have asked, is the use of having a spouse who is away for months in a year?”

As it happened, a single meeting with Vikrant had taken care of that particular mind-block. “When you meet the person of your dreams, it all falls into place,” she grins.

And that’s how the fiercely independent Meenal Sanjagiri became Meenal Patil, happy to take on everything that marriage would bring on its way.

Nevertheless, the duo has witnessed the ups and downs of a land to sea romance in more ways than one. “The first sail that he went on after marriage was very hard on me,” she reminisces. “My mother had just died and I had just given up on a job I loved for something I wanted to pursue. It was a confusing and lonely period,” she says.

Even so, it has been a fabulous and enriching six years since their nuptials in 2015. The couple living in Pune’s Baner area have found their own way of spending quality time together. “When I am home, I absolutely enjoy cooking up a storm,” says Vikrant. “And I have quite the responsive audience in Meenal, who tends to love everything I whip up.”

Actually, the appreciation is mutual, says Meenal. “I love how he loves all the programmes I conduct on the radio,” she laughs. “And to top it all, he’s extra critical of the other RJs. Jokes apart though, most of my friends adore him because he’s such a caring and considerate person.”

Quality time consists of taking two major vacations a year-including road trips. “She is adventurous, fun and absolutely game to take on a few hardships in her stride,” says Vikrant. “This makes her the best travel buddy.”

“Time together is hugely important as he’s away for so many months at a stretch,” says Meenal. “A situation that is typical of seafaring homes is the fact that when the seafarer is back everyone wants to be with him, friends and family included. While that is natural, it is important to remember that the wife (and possibly kids!) have been alone for all these months and do need some time together,” she expresses. “That said, we are both social people and love our circle of friends and family who are our strength and mainstay.”

Considering they had a three-year-long engagement before recently completing six years of matrimonial bliss, what according to them are the pillars of a marriage. The answer is unanimous. “Loyalty,” says Meenal, even as Vikrant gives it a thumbs up. “Loyalty is the one quality that has to precede all else,” he says. “This is all the more critical to a long-distance relationship. And by loyalty, I mean not just fidelity but an abiding commitment to one’s partner and relationship.”

“As an extension of this very same loyal personality, he is absolutely devoted to his work; this is particularly remarkable because his profession is off the beaten track,” says Meenal.

Like every couple, even this fun-loving duo has their differences. So, who is it that starts the fights and who is that calls the ceasefire? “Me, I am a peace-loving soul who stays miles away from conflict. To answer your question, he is the one who starts the argument and he is the one who goes out of the way to stop it, especially, when I pull my walls up,” she says. “The thing is when you talk things out, everything gets sorted out. If there are doubts, ask. If there are fears, share. Everything has a solution.”

CHILDFREE AND LOVING IT

Both Meenal and Vikrant are happy to be super-aunt and super-uncle to their nieces and nephews, but neither particularly wants their own baby. “The world we live in-I think it’s best not to bring in a child. Besides, we are happy in each other’s company. And whenever we miss a child’s banter-why, there are tons of little kiddies in the family to turn to,” rounds off Vikrant.