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2 States: We spoke the language of love

Murali Annavaram shares his 2 States story. Share yours too!

I was born and raised in Trichy, Tamil Nadu. She came from a Telugu-speaking but lived in Jameshdpur, which is where I met her.

By some strange twist of fate I had landed in the Steel City in the hope of looking for a job.

I still cherish the moment I first saw my wife in a bus in which we were both travelling.

Though I often spoke Tamil at home, Telugu was the language which helped me befriend this wonderful woman who had her roots in Andhra Pradesh.

We both got down at the same stop. And our life together has been a fantastic journey since.

Few months after this chance meeting, my family happened to run into another south Indian family while shopping and got talking.

As it turned out, it was the family of my wife to be.

Looking at each other, we couldn't help stop smiling as the two families bonded over being from the south of India :-)

We realised that we were meant to be.

However there was a brief period during which our families were concerned about our Tamil influenced lifestyle and the ability of their daughter, a girl born and raised in Jamshedpur, to adjust to it.

Moreover, they weren't sure how long I'd stay on in Jamshedpur and that I hadn't picked up a word of Hindi till then nor I was able to speak any better Telugu than I was speaking when we first met.

They wondered how I'd communicate with her and her family.

But what they hadn't known was that Usha and I spoke the language of love.

We have been married for 30 years now and we speak Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and English and we understand Punjabi too.

And yes, we have been settled in Jamshedpur. :-)

We are proud parents of two lovely daughters -- Vandana and Nalini.

My younger daughter is married to a Punjabi and my elder daughter has married into a Telugu-speaking family.

We don't regret having not waited for a son to be born.

We have two sons who the society knows as our sons-in-law.

We are grandparents to a cute and adorable grandson from our younger daughter who is lovingly called Kartik but is named Saib in the records.

God couldn't have been more benevolent.

ALSO READ More heartwarming stories like this one!

Are you a north Indian who's married a south Indian or vice versa?

How did you two meet?

How did your families react?

Was there enough drama for a Bollywood movie or a bestselling book? :-)

Tell us!

Email us the stories of your inter-cultural marriage!

Write to getahead@rediff.co.in (Subject line: 'My 2 States story') along with a picture of you and your spouse, and we will publish the best stories right here onRediff.com!