What began with a Shaadi.com match (thank you, Anupam Mittal!) quickly turned into long chats, serendipitous plans, and a feeling that felt…well, like home. Pritha: “I never pictured myself in an arranged marriage. But when the parent-run newspaper circuit began, opening a Shaadi.com account felt like the natural next step. One profile ping led to another, and suddenly I was chatting with a Siliguri boy who loved Kolkata stories almost as much as I did.” Rishav: “I was ready to settle down. I had gone on a couple of dates in the U.S., but nothing clicked. During a trip to India, on the way to travel with my parents in Southeast Asia, I thought, why not meet someone in Kolkata? One message to Pritha turned into easy banter, and we decided to meet the day before Diwali in 2023.”

Day 1 was Rishav’s plan: lunch, a pottery date (yes, we made wobbly bowls and laughed a lot), and a cozy café where time somehow sprinted. Day 2 was Pritha’s tour: lunch at the Park Street classic Bar-B-Q, book-browsing at Oxford Bookstore, and a long, contented sit-and-chill at Flurys. Two days, one city, and zero awkward silences.

Rishav flew back to the U.S., but we never stopped talking. Early-morning and late-night calls became our rhythm. Across time zones, we swapped stories, sent song recs, planned imaginary itineraries, and found ourselves choosing each other, again and again. I moved to the U.S. for my master’s, and the “imaginary” plans shaped into real ones.

Back in Kolkata, we celebrated our engagement/aashirbaad with our families. Mishti, hugs, and happy chaos included. Now, we are counting down to the big Bengali “biye” and cannot wait to celebrate with everyone we love. Now with hearts set on December, we are ready for forever!