Pushpita and Ravi reached the parking lot of a beautiful resort attached to a hotel management school in their cute red wine colour car. They were experienced hoteliers by profession and had worked in umpteen hotels before landing in Goa. Pushpita, who was teaching rooms division and Chef Ravi, was a hardcore kitchen bloke. Although Pushpita was born and brought up in Rourkela, a beautiful, planned Steel City in the State of Odisha, and Ravi in Lucknow, The Political Capital of Uttar Pradesh, they somehow just fell in love with Goa and its culture.
Pushpita stepped out of the car, adjusted her beautiful chiffon bluish-green saree, and ruffled her short hair. She carried a saree exceptionally well. Ravi took one look at her and said, "We managed another year together," he chuckled and locked the car.
"Well, Ravi, the ride was not that bumpy," she added, and they both had a good laugh.
On their way up the slope to the building entrance, Ravi asked, "So, your first lecture is with which class?"
"Well, in the first period, I have a meeting. What about you?" questioned Pushpita.
"Oh! Don't ask!" said Ravi rolling his eyes. "It's an eventful day with meetings lined up for the upcoming food festival, training, menu planning, and trials."
"Oh God!!" exclaimed Pushpita. "They're going to drive you up the wall."
"Nah! They must be giving you a hard time. But for me, I just must give him my stern look, and they all hush down! They all know they can't mess with Chef Ravi Savant!"
"Yes, yes!! Who can?" she added and raised her eyebrow.
"So, I'll see you in the evening. Have a good day," said Ravi smiling as they had reached their departing point.
"Yes! It's our day," said Pushpita and smiled, with a twinkle in her eye. She saw him walk away and stood there for a second, feeling overwhelmed and grateful.
The day quickly went by. It was already the second half as Pushpita walked into class to teach the second-year students.
"Open your front office textbook to Chapter 4 - Reservations, page 53 as I run the slides on the projector," announced Pushpita after being greeted by 37 odd students in her class.
"Ma'am, Happy Anniversary!" said a girl sitting in the front row, smiling ear to ear.
"HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, MA'AM!" sang the entire class together.
"Why do you want to teach us today? Said one of the students seated in the second row.
"Yeah! It's your anniversary today," announced another student from the back.
"And today is valentine's day, ma'am!" protested a student sitting in the corner.
"Ok, ok, hush down! You all know, it's not so easy to twist my arm. So, let's do half an hour study, and the other half I'll let you off early," suggested Pushpita.
The class protested but finally agreed. But Pushpita Ma'am played smart and dragged on the lecture for 45 minutes. Having the last 15 minutes left in hand, Pushpita dismissed the class, headed to the staff room, and bumped into her colleague Martha Rebello. They smiled at each other and decided to grab a quick cup of coffee in the staff room.
"So, what plans today?" questioned Martha with a huge grin on her face.
Pushpita could feel her excitement and giggled, "Ravi has found a nice shack to go for dinner," she said.
"Oh, sounds lovely," said Martha as she sipped her cuppa. "So, you both studied at the same college? I'm simply curious to know. I mean, I've known you for so many years, but I don't know how you both met?"
"Oh, no, no! We didn't study in the same college, although we both were in the first year. Ravi had done a course prior from IHM -Lucknow. And it so happened that we had the same mentor," said Pushpita sipping her cup of coffee.
"Then?" asked Martha, looking a bit confused.
"We met at 'Bappi da store!' she said.
"Bappi da store?" said Martha, looking surprised and brought her glasses down till the tip of her nose as her kohled eyes widened.
Pushpita laughed and said, "Yes! The all-time standard PCO booth. Since we stayed in the hostel twice a week, we could go to the Bappi da store to make a phone call or receive a call after dinner. I'm talking about the year 1994, by the way. It used to be extremely exciting because all the boys would drop by at the same time. That is where I saw Ravi for the first time."
Martha looked at her in amazement and said, "I always thought you both went to the same college together. Then what happened?" asked Martha curiously.
"Well, I just loved the way he flaunted his tattoo. He had his name inked on his forearm. Not to mention, he was tall, dark, and handsome. There was something about his style of talking that caught my attention. It was Urdu- Hindi style that made my ears go up," she said as she could feel her cheeks getting hot.
"So, who fell for who first?" Martha excitedly asked.
"Well, we just clicked. You can say it was mutual. But Ravi made the first move," Pushpita chucked. "It took us about 6-7 months to fall in love, and before joining my industrial training program, he proposed in front of Nandan - AJC Bose Road back in Kolkata. It was one of our regular places where we went on Sundays."
"Wow!! Sounds amazing! Who would have thought that Bappi da store would be the cupid point for you two," said Martha and grinned? "So, what about the parents? Did they know?"
Pushpita chuckled and said, "Well, Ummm, my parents didn't know. But Ravi's mom knew. And she was a very loving and kind lady. She even sent me a packet of rasna and a blue top that I just loved. I somehow felt so connected with her. But this moved our relationship to the next level."
"So then, after how long did you get married?" Martha inquired.
"We took our own sweet time. We both finished college, Ravi decided to do an extra course, and he stayed back in Kolkata. I moved to another city and started working in hotels. That's when I told my parents about Ravi. He managed to visit my hometown and meet my parents. This got the ball rolling, and six years later, we got hitched," said Pushpita.
"And then you had Isha after two years?" Martha continued.
"Yes! Two years later, I gave birth to my little girl," said Pushpita, smiling ear to ear. "You should see the card Isha made for us this year for our anniversary. It's so beautifully done!"
"She has got a knack for creativity," expressed Martha.
"Yes! We wait for Isha's card on all occasions," said Pushpita cheerfully and glanced at the time. "I better go to my next lecture. I'll see you in a bit," she said and left the staff room.
Later that evening, Pushpita had a lovely time with Ravi and Isha. Watching the sunset, waves, feasting on delicious Goan food, and having the cool breeze hit your face was the perfect way to celebrate their anniversary. That's all the three of them wanted.
Pushpita and Ravi spent seven beautiful years in Goa. It was the best phase of their lives. They fell in love with the beaches, the food, the fresh air and made perfect friends. Their professional lives had a significant impact on their lives as they shared a strong connection with everybody. They received so much positive energy and encouragement that Ravi and Pushpita had something new to give and learn every day.
Soon enough, the time had come when home was calling. The close-knit family had to pack up and head back to Lucknow as Ravi's mother passed away due to cancer. His father wanted the family to stay together. They left their favourite destination -Goa and headed back to Ravi's hometown -Lucknow. From then on, there was no turning back.
Today Ravi and Pushpita have been married for two decades. They shifted from a nuclear family to a joint family after coming back from Goa. It brought a positive change in their lives, especially for Isha; one can say it's a never-ending party amongst the family members.
Pushpita strives her best in the front office department and is loved by her team members as she is known for her down to earth, cheerful personality. Being a strong-headed woman and her never-give-up attitude, she makes a great boss.
Pushpita enjoys being married to a chef. Now and then, Ravi cooks a delicious meal on demand for his family.
The kitchen is Ravi's second home. There was nothing like working in a professional kitchen and experiencing the joy of cooking a great meal. Ravi has recently started his YouTube channel called 'Knife and Camera.'
He set up his studio in his apartment. All he needs is his knife, a camera, a few utensils, the special spice box that he loves to create a mouth-watering dish. Ravi grew up in a north Indian joint family. He spent his Sundays sitting on a huge kitchen counter, watching his father and uncles cook meat and chicken and took part in the chatty banter. That is where he discovered his passion for cooking and the fact that men can also cook!
But besides their professional life, the fine pair love spending quality time with their daughter and the rest of their family. If you ever drop by to visit, you better be ready because it's going to be one hell of a party!
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