IN JAYA’S OWN WORDS
Soul connection
Jaya a renowned artist, and Vishnu, a businessman, had an arranged marriage, but if one looks closely at the way they connect and their chemistry, it is clear that it is a match destined by stars.
“It is soul connection and we know each other so well because of our love and mutual understanding,” says artist Jaya, who travels with her shows across globe. “We had an arranged marriage. It worked for our parents, it worked for our grandparents, and it worked for us. It took us time to fall in love, but we are definitely in love.”
And when did they first realise they were in?
“After knowing each other for a period of time, we agreed to spend our lives together. And it felt really good,” says Jaya.
Falling in love
Born and brought up in Pune, Jaya got married to Vishnudas Baheti from Hyderabad. “I was really impressed with him when I came to know that he lost his father and he was on his own. I fell in love with his take on life and before getting engagement, we dated for a while and met often. I fell in love with him even more,” recalls Jaya.
Jaya and Vishnudas got engaged in Sangli, a town near Goa, in 1991 August and got married on February 2, 1992, in Hyderabad. “It has been a great journey for us and we have constantly been in a journey of knowing each other everyday a little bit more,” says Jaya,with her infectious smile.
Love starts with passion and vigour and then, over a period of time, it vanishes. “For me, it has been a gradual process. I’m way more in love with Vishnu now than when we got married,” says the artist. “Two years later, we were blessed with twins and this only strengthened our relationship,” she shares.
Unconditional support
Jaya says that Vishnu met her expectations of an understanding husband. “Vishnu has always been a gentleman in terms of his thinking. He has always been supportive of my decisions - continuing my dream to be a professional artist after marriage, or anything for that matter. These qualities I feel are very important for any man,” she says with a glint of pride. .
Their marriage was built on sharing and respecting each other’s beliefs and on a sense that they were equal partners in life’s journey. “For the past 23 years of our marriage, we have had many ups and downs, but the support and respect which we have for each other has never weakened. And that I think is a reason behind any successful marriage,” says Jaya and adds, “Even today, we respect each other despite our contrasting professions. His quality, which I like the most, is, that he is so giving and generous, to his friends, family and kin. It is heartwarming to see someone be this selfless. He has taught me a lot along the way, and I know for sure, 20 years down the line, I’m going to say the same.”