Twenty years ago, an upstart naval aviator met a sweet young lady working at The Oberoi, New Delhi. He was someone who could fall in love with a fleeting image across the window of a train crossing another at 100 km/h. She was coy and reserved; not one to give her hand or heart to anyone easily. So while he fell headlong in love, she took the longer, more nuanced route to building an enduring relationship, unmindful of his boyish impatience.

Often, sharp knocks of adversity chipped away at their marriage of tender years. Hard days tested the resilience of their bonding. But like a river that washes over rocks & winds around jagged mountains, they coursed through hand in hand. With growing years he became stubborn and more impatient; often subjecting everything and everyone to the soulless test of metrics & logic borrowed from a profession known for putting high-tech aircraft through its paces. But life seldom deals you the perfect set of cards. She knew when to throw logic out of the window and take a leap of faith. At times when he didn’t listen, she gave him the royal snub that brought him back to terra firma. “Leave your magnifying glasses and search for perfection back in the office; this home runs on love, respect and understanding”, she often told him. Sometimes he listened, sometimes he sulked.

Yesterday, the two went on a long hard trek to the Taktsang Gompa, a 17th-Century Buddhist monastery high up in the mountains of Bhutan. Located at the edge of a steep precipice, it stands majestic, making everyone else look small and insignificant. 325 years on, the temple still hugs the cliff; serene, peaceful and breathtakingly beautiful. Not so much because of engineering or concrete but because of the faith on which it is founded.

After five arduous hours on the mountain trail, she turned back with folded hands at Taksang Gompa from the base of the mountain. His clinical mind was busy analysing data thrown up by the fitness tracker while her eyes misted over and her face lit up with a pious glow – we did it.

And so we did. Climbed a small mountain called ’20 years together’.

Kancha & Kanchi Version 20.0 is here. Marriages work on faith & trust. Logic be damned 🙂

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©KP Sanjeev Kumar, 2017-20. All rights reserved.