Love story: 'That flight would change my life'

We invited readers to share stories of how they met their spouses and interesting anecdotes about their wedding day. Here's the first response!

Karan Joshi has fond memories of the day when fate brought his wife into his life. Here is his story:

It was just like any other day in Cochin on August 19, 2006. I woke up that morning, got ready and said goodbye to all my friends, as I had just successfully completed my MBA from the Rajagiri School of Management and was heading home. Little did I know that my life was going to change forever on this fateful day.

My flight was at 3:15 pm from Cochin to Delhi, via a halt in Hyderabad. As luck would have it, I reached the airport early and went to Departure Terminal One (there are only two terminals in CIAL). I saw a pretty girl sitting in the waiting section, because boarding had not commenced.

I mustered up the courage (generally I don't approach people) to go and talk to her. In the course of the conversation, I found out a lot about her -- that her name was Ana, that she had been to Cochin to visit Amma's (Mata Amritanandamayi's) ashram, that she was returning to Portugal that day and that she had a connecting flight from New Delhi.

I can tell you that from 1 pm to 8:30 pm that day we were like carrots and peas -- we simply talked and talked. We connected instantly. I knew it then and there, that she was the person I would marry. Call it a divine intervention of some sort, but I just knew it.

We started to talk on the telephone and then she came to India from Portugal in December 2006 for a fortnight. I then went to Portugal in April 2007. Then Ana took up a job at the International School of Hyderabad and I took a transfer there from my employers, ICICI Bank.

We lived together in Hyderabd and got married on March 1, 2008. We moved to Portugal in June that year and we are currently living in London. We are blessed with a lovely daughter, whose name is Anna too, only spelled with an additional 'n'.

Sometimes, if we are open to things in life, they come naturally to us. I can tell you by experience that you will not need to figure out who you will marry -- instead, the person will just appear in front of you. It may not be easy, but it sure is natural.

AND YES, IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. YOU BET IT WAS AND STILL IS...

Share your romantic experiences with us! Write in to getahead@rediff.co.in (subject line: 'My love story') along with a photograph of you and your spouse if possible and we'll publish the best entries right here!

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh