Jab We Met: 'We've been married for 48 years'

We'd asked you, dear readers to share your love stories with us.

Charan Singh, 82 tells us how he met his lady love 70 years ago.

I have known her (Diler Kaur) since her birth in February 1946.

We lived in Hyderabad (Sindh) then, now in Pakistan.

I was 12 years old and her brothers -- who were of my age -- were my friends.

She was 18 months old when the partition of India took place, and Pakistan was formed.

There were communal riots everywhere.

Sikhs and Hindus were being killed in Pakistan.

So we had to migrate to India.

My family settled in Mumbai, and Diler's family were in Jodhpur.

We lost contact with each other.

In 1953, I got a job as a typist in the Western Railway office at Churchgate, Mumbai for a salary of Rs 112.50 per month.

I got an increment of Rs 3 after one year.

In 1962, I took a free railway pass and went to Jodhpur to attend a relative's wedding ceremony.

As I looked down from the balcony of my relative's house, I noticed few girls in their school uniform standing below the building.

One girl in the group grabbed my attention. She was the most beautiful among all.

I asked my cousin about the girl.

He said that her name is Diler.

Instantly, my memory went all the way back to the time when she was just a baby.

During my stay in Jodhpur, her mother invited me over for lunch to their house.

As her mother and I sat in the compound, Diler made food in the kitchen.

The kitchen was right opposite to the room we were sitting.

In some time, she brought a plate of food.

She stood before me and smiled. She was shy. We didn't speak.

But I couldn't get over her pretty face.

Soon after, Diler and her family also left Jodhpur and came to live in Mumbai.

In the year 1965, Diler came to our house with her sister Nirmala, who was married to my cousin Pratap.

Yet again, we looked at each other. But we were still too shy to talk.

I left my job with the railways and joined a private company in New Delhi.

My parents thought of getting me married as I was living alone in Delhi.

They asked me if I had any girl in mind.

I told them that Diler was my choice.

The proposal went through Nirmala and Diler accepted it.

We got married in March 1968.

I am now 82 years old and she is 70.

We have been married for 48 years. We have a blissful life, full of affection.

We are now enjoying our retired life with our grandchildren.

We pray to the Lord to keep us this way for the rest of our life.