KOCHI: When Ashima was admitted to a hospital at Kochi in 2004, for her first delivery, she began to go through moments of panic. This went on for a few days. Her worried husband, Arjun Madhusudan wondered what he could do to alleviate her fears. That was when an idea struck him. He entered the room and, in front of a puzzled Ashima, Arjun began to take off his shirt. With a naughty smile, he carried on some more. Finally, Ashima burst out laughing. “It was not erotic, but it was a moment which sparked romance and comedy during a period of tension,”she says. Very soon she gave birth to a cute baby girl Ava, and a few years down the line to Armana who is now five years old. The jovial couple had first met at their common friend’s place at Chennai in 1998. Ashima, a Kashmiri Pandit raised in Kochi, did her course on apparel manufacturing and designing from SNDT College, Mumbai and got placed as a merchandiser at an export firm in Chennai.It was at a party hosted by one of her friends where she met the man who would later become her husband. A fair six footer walked towards her. And that was Arjun. He introduced himself and they began to talk. “Over mugs of beer we talked, laughed. First day itself I got to know that Arjun was a grandmaster at cracking jokes. And truly I found a good friend in him,” she says. We spoke till it was 4 in the morning. Following day they decided to meet again.From a distance she saw Arjun doubtfully looking at another girl whom he mistook to be Ashima. Before he bumped into her, Ashima waved at him. Embarrassed, he walked up to her and they proceeded to a coffee shop. “Overall I looked at him. His dirty red check shirt and faded blue jeans put me off. But his humour and intellect turned me on,”says Ashima.After having coffee, he invited and got her introduced to his parents. Day by day their friendship grew, and she became close to him and his family.As she was turning 24, her parents frantically began searching for a suitable Kashmiri groom. By then their friendship had developed into a feeling of intense fondness for each other.Arjun took the initiative. He told his parents, “I am in love with Ashima and want to get married.” His surprised mother asked, “Ashima...your friend?” Arjun sheepishly nodded.Even though Arjun is a Malayali brought up in Chennai and Ashima, a Kashmiri, they had similar family backgrounds. Both their fathers were shippies.As both parents found the families compatible, they decided to get them married. “My mom-in-law was keen on having a Kashmiri marriage,”she adds. In 2001 these friends-turned-lovers got married in Kashmiri style at the Avenue Centre, Kochi with their traditional delicacies like yakhni, kaliya(mutton dishes).After the ceremonies, the newly wed couple in their wedding attires rushed to the bar at Taj Residency. A whole lot of their friends joined them there. “As we were to have the reception in the evening, we knew this was the only time we had with us to get sloshed,”she smiles, reminiscing the day. Next day they set off to Kumarakam for their honeymoon. Even today this couple party hard. Not outside, but at their home.“We are not comfortable partying outside leaving our children behind. Enjoying at home allows us to feel secure about the kids,” says Arjun. “He is responsible as a father and as a husband,” she says. And for him she is brilliant and beautiful as ever.Arjun like any other youngster who used to hop jobs is now the Creative Director at Radio Mango.And Ashima runs a hip clothes and home accessories’ store at Thevara.
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