Over the years, Bollywood has kept us hooked with its cute college love stories. Although we subconsciously know that love stories shown in the reel and in real life are quite different, those that are actually successful in real life are the ones we root for.
This week, The Statesman spots light on one such couple who were initially batchmates at college but later tied the knot for a lifetime partnership. We came across professor Sreetanwi Chakraborty, the assistant professor of Amity Institute of English Studies and Research (AIESRK) in Kolkata, and her partner Supriyo Chakraborty, the founder and director of Penprints Private Limited.
In 2004, Sreetanwi and Supriyo first crossed paths in the portico of Presidency College in Kolkata. Although they had a large group of friends, they became best friends within a couple of weeks and used to hang out on and around the campus.
“We articulated thoughts about politics, films, buying old books, songs, rain, food, travel, love, separation, jokes, gossip, tiffin sharing, critical thinking—literally every mundane thing that could make us talk for hours. It was his transparent, honest and reliable nature as a friend that amused me,” narrates Sreetanwi.
It was around the end of 2006 when Supriyo made a call from a local booth and asked her hand for marriage, promising her to talk to her parents with the utmost respect and responsibility.
Initially, the couple united through a legal registry marriage conducted in 2007 rather than a traditional social ceremony. But after a few years, on 15 August 2010, despite initial problems posed by some of the relatives from Sreetanwi’s side, the social ceremony was fancifully done with dedicated event planners and an extensive guest list.
The couple then elaborated on their personal experiences and perspectives regarding their shared journey together.
“We together have a well-balanced and compatible life. We often spend time at coffee shops, escape to serene hill stations or seaside, cook and experiment with new dishes, stay awake talking nonsense all night, show the first draft writings to each other, work together as part of the Penprints publication team, plan poetry events, and go on nostalgic trips to all those places in Kolkata from where we started our journey. We even fight a lot and cry over trifling matters, yet we love each other in body and soul. At times, we do feel that we give more importance to our inflated ego, but with age and maturity, I think, we can now handle and manage our arguments better,” says Sreetanwi.
She recounts an emotionally stirring incident that made her love for her husband more deep and strong. “During my gall bladder stone operation in 2012, Supriyo did not return home for four days while I was admitted to a nursing home. It was a rainy season, and during one or two nights, due to huge footfalls in the hospital, he had to remain in the rain outside, yet he didn’t return home. On asking, he told me that he would only return home once the surgery was done, and not without me.”
The husband also adds his insights from the journey. “I am blessed to have Sreetanwi as my better half. She stood by my side during the most challenging phase of my life, when I faced the devastating loss of my parents. She is the only root that has nourished me throughout my life’s journey till now. Apart from that, discussing English literature with Sreetanwi is a major challenge to me because I have to listen to her classroom lectures, and that makes me a half-graduate in English too!”
Supriyo reminisces and says, “Allow me to share another cherished memory that remains etched in our minds. Just after our marriage, we spent a whole night on the terrace of a hotel in Santiniketan. It was raining and we were drunk, and it was the most treasured night that still forces us to drench in the rain whenever possible. In fact, rain has a telepathic connection with us.”