Lockdown love: City girl gets engaged on video call
Nagpur: Only a distance of more than 1000 kilometers and a national lockdown couldn’t stop two lovebirds maintaining their solemn pledge of engaging on the pre-decided April 12 date. Nagpurian Neha Sharma and her fiance from Delhi, Utkarsh Bansal, took a video call to WhatsApp, with families in tow, and exchanged rings and promises that would last them for a lifetime.
Had it not been for the lockout, 25-year-old Neha would have been decked up for the engagement party scheduled at a city hotel and attended by friends and relatives in a stunning beige gown.
“My fiance was expected to arrive with his family from Delhi on April 10, and so on that particular day I felt dreary,” Neha said. “And my want to be mother-in-law cheered me up saying I’ve got to wear the engagement dress on April 12 and join the video call. I took it lightly at the time since I thought it was supposed to merely cheer up my mood, “she said.
Sunday came and while Neha and Utkarsh spoke on the phone, a re-engagement wasn’t even mentioned as both were upset not just about missing out on the event but also about the continued confusion. “It was nearly 11.30 pm when I eventually agreed to wear my engagement dress, after which I made the video call,” Neha said.
Her fiance floored by what he had seen. “She looked really beautiful in that dress and I was speechless. My mum told me to dress properly as well. After that, all happened really quickly,’ Utkarsh said. Early enough to complete the ceremony they ‘exchanged’ rings on the video call.
Neha laughed saying, “I wore his ring and he wore mine and it was an incredible feeling.” A romantic side of an otherwise reserved Utkarsh took the atmosphere to the fore. “Never mind if we’re too far apart, he said we’ll always be together and all that,” Neha gushed. This was as nice as it could have given the current situation, with both families present during the e-ceremony.
The young couple will have to wait some time until the solemnization of their arranged marriage. Utkarsh said, “The last time we met for the roka ceremony was January 22. In March she was scheduled to come to Delhi but travel restrictions had been in place by then. Marriage is scheduled for May 19 in Delhi with the same week’s reception in Nagpur. “These dates can now be extended as well.
Last learned, the couple committed to social distancing with a strong conviction that isolation causes the heart to develop into a foundry.
