STORY 8 :Poonam (Pratibha) & Adharsh (Jivesh) Jul 05 2023

First love is a dream that you never want to wake up from. Adharsh first laid eyes on Poonam in 2005 when he was in Standard 4. She had come to his class after changing schools following a change of address. Adharsh still remembers the feeling of déjà vu he got when she entered the classroom as if he had lived this moment before. His heart started beating faster than usual, and he had butterflies in his stomach. It was the first time Adharsh was feeling like this; it was like discovering a part of himself he never knew existed. The teacher would later make Adharsh the happiest person in the world when he changed the seating arrangements to make Poonam sit beside him. Even though Adharsh was just a small boy, he knew he would never feel like this for anyone else again.
Poonam, however, did not feel the same way about Adharsh. They were still kids at that time, and to her, he was only a cute little good boy with a round haircut. One day in class, Adharsh and Poonam's question papers were mistakenly interchanged, and the teacher shouted at Adharsh in front of the classroom, thinking it was his fault. He took the blame and kept quiet to protect Poonam. This made her feel sorry for him, and they became friends. Sometime later, another unfortunate event happened: Poonam lost an envelope containing her money to pay some fees at school. The headmaster brought her in front of the assembly and asked the students if they had found the envelope, but the kids laughed and made fun of her plight, causing her to break down in tears. This made Adharsh feel bad for her, making him aware of how much Poonam's feelings counted for him.

When their primary school days were over, each got admitted to college, and they parted ways. Adharsh had kept his feelings to himself, and Poonam only remembered him as a quiet and well-mannered kid who used to sit next to her in class.

The years passed, and one day Adharsh happened to meet a friend from his earlier days. In the course of their conversation, Adharsh asked the guy if he had any news about Poonam. The friend informed him that she was taking tuition from a certain Maths teacher. In the spur of the moment, Adharsh decided to change teachers and started taking tuition with the same teacher as Poonam, just to get to meet her again. When he saw her in tuition, he again had those butterfly feelings in his stomach. Poonam, however, did not immediately recognize Adharsh. In the tuition class, the girls sat at the front and the boys at the back, and Poonam hardly took notice of the newcomer.
Later that day, Poonam received an SMS from Adharsh asking if she recognized him from school. In those days, there was no Instagram or WhatsApp, and they could only communicate through SMS. Adharsh had been able to get her number through a girl. It was thus through SMS on 14th Feb 2011 that Adharsh proposed Poonam for a date. Poonam told him that they needed to meet first. Poonam now remembered Adharsh from primary school and saw that he had grown into a tall, intelligent, and good-looking boy. At 15, those were the criteria a girl would look for, and since everyone else in college had a boyfriend, Poonam accepted Adharsh's invitation for a date. They, however, had to wait for several months, until July, to be able to go on their first date. Their colleges were far apart: she went to Forest Side State Secondary School, and he was at the Royal College of Port Louis. They, therefore, did not meet often. Whenever they met after tuition hours, they could barely talk, although they both had butterflies every time they saw each other. They communicated mostly by SMS as they did not have smartphones. One day, Poonam's mum found her sending texts to Adharsh, and she got punished, but she still kept in touch with him. Their second date came after two years, in August 2013.

Even though they were not meeting physically, Poonam felt that they were getting to know each other, and the trust between them was building up, which was important to her. However, Adharsh was frustrated that they could not meet and go on dates like a normal couple. He felt that Poonam was more interested in a friendship than a relationship with him. Given the situation, Poonam suggested that they take a break so they could each focus on their studies. That was the best decision for them, according to her, but Adharsh did not take it well. He felt that he was being dumped. They got into a fight and ended up saying horrible things to each other. They finally decided to stop talking and even blocked each other on social media.

During that time, Adharsh made the blunder of sharing some personal stuff that was between him and Poonam with his friends, and they made fun of her. Poonam was deeply hurt by this. Adharsh realized, to his horror, that he had made a terrible blunder and tried to get in touch with her to apologize, but Poonam did not want to even listen to him. Time passed, and they both finished college. Poonam went to the university while Adharsh took up a job. He tried many times to get in touch with Poonam and ask for her forgiveness, but she denied him, saying that she did not want to have anything to do with him.

In October 2016, three years after they separated, Adharsh wrote a post on Facebook where he poured his heart out. He mentioned how his mother's death, which took place a few years earlier, had affected him and expressed how much he truly loved Poonam and regretted losing her. This prompted Poonam to get back in touch with him, asking him why he had to share his stories in front of everyone. She admonished him to move on.
Somehow, being able to express what was on his heart made Adharsh feel lighter. He listened to Poonam and tried to move on and date another girl, but the feeling was not the same as how he felt for Poonam. During that time, Poonam tried to focus on her career. Nevertheless, since they were now back in touch, they kept checking in on each other as friends and supported each other. Their mutual college friends told them that an ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend cannot stay friends for long, that they were made for each other and would end up being married one day.
On the 11th of October 2019, a few days after Poonam's birthday, she finally agreed to meet Adharsh as a friend. It was their first meeting after six long years and only their third since their first date in 2011. That day, when they were together, they felt as if there had never been a break in their relationship. They felt as close as they did in their college days. After some time, Poonam finally sent Adharsh a message to say she loved him, and they began dating again. In 2021, they made their relationship official by introducing each other to their parents. Poonam's parents invited Adharsh to their house. He was apprehensive about talking to her parents but showed his determination by going to meet them alone, without relying on his parents. From the beginning, it had been his story, and he wanted to conclude it in his own way. It was only after everything was settled that he later brought his family along.
On the 5th of February 2023, Adharsh planned a surprise proposal for Poonam at the beach in a romantic setting. He blindfolded her and got on his knees with a ring in his hand to propose to her. They contracted a civil marriage on the 14th of February, 2023, 12 years after he first asked her for a date.

The relationship between Adharsh and Poonam has been a roller coaster. For Adharsh, it started with a crush. He had a conviction from day one that she was the one. As a boy, he enjoyed the privilege of being able to make his own decisions and had more freedom in expressing his emotions. For Poonam, being a woman, love is often at the conclusion of a relationship. She had societal and familial constraints that prevented her from jumping into a relationship without knowing the person well enough. For Adharsh, love was a conquest; it meant fighting for the one you love. His first crush was more than just a passing fancy; it was a transformative experience that moulded him into the person he is today. For Poonam, love was a slow and steady process that involved allowing the relationship to mature and develop over time. She believed that friendship provides the nurturing soil for love to take root and blossom over time. Even though they broke up many times and were apart for long periods, the seed of love that was sown during their school days kept growing inside them because they never really gave up on each other.
Adharsh and Poonam are getting married religiously on the 25th of November, 2023, sharing a common dream of a beautiful future together.