Love is a complicated emotion; although it’s painted ‘bright red’ in popular culture, it can be quite difficult to fathom in real life. But not for Sundeep Jotwani and Paulami Patel, whose relationship grew stronger each day, everyday. Featured in Humans of Bombay, their unique story puts fairytales to shame…
Sundeep and Paulami met through a common friend in college. Their friendship gradually turned into a relationship and eventually marriage. Simple, isn’t it? Only that it wasn’t. Paulami had a non-functional right hand… She had lost her arm after being electrocuted at the tender age of 12.
But it made no difference to Sundeep. He never viewed it as a disability, “I knew she’d somehow lost her hand, but I didn’t think it mattered enough to ask her.” He shared his views in an exclusive to Humans Of Bombay, “Whatever little I knew, I knew from her friends. We spent a lot of time together and we both developed a habit of not going to bed without a phone call… even if it was just to ask if the other had reached home. It became a habit for me to always keep one eye on her wherever we were. Even if we weren’t sitting next to each other at a restaurant, I always asked the waiter to serve me her food first, so I could cut up the pieces she would have struggled with. It was an unspoken communication between us that I got to look out for her at the times she needed it, without her asking me to.”
Let’s take you on a flashback… Both Sundeep and Paulami belonged to different colleges and shared a common friends circle. For the next five years, they hung out together and discovered that there was more to their relationship than just friendship. They even went months without talking to each other, but somehow always found their way back. That’s how the stars aligned.
After dating for a couple of months, the duo decided to tie the knot. And if you are already overawed, Sundeep has more to share, “I’ve seen her at her most vulnerable — without her prosthetics, with all her scars that she used to try and hide and I still believe she’s the most complete and put together person I’ve met.”
Sundeep is determined to give Paulami the best in her life because he knows she deserves every bit of it. From feeding her in restaurants to consoling her deepest insecurities, he is her best confidante. “The way I see it — we all have our missing pieces. For some of us, it’s emotional, while for others it’s physical. The whole point is to find the person that fills up the pieces and she makes me whole,” he added.
Paulami couldn’t have wished for a better partner. “At 28, I’ve had 45 surgeries and lost my right hand, but still lived to the fullest. I married the love of my life who only lifts me higher, work on my business, drive like a boss, skydive, and do multiple open water dives and have so much more to do…but not before I continue to celebrate every little victory and do my little dance along the way!”, she told Humans Of Bombay.
Bravo to the couple who’ve embraced love in the truest sense and have helped each other through thick and thin. POPxo salutes their spirit and wishes them all the love and luck in the future.
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