I knew he was the one
Pyal: I'll never be able to articulate that feeling
FINDING a sincere and rare connection with a person can be indescribable and for Pyal Reddy, she found this in her husband Jaswan Mudliar 15 years ago.
Originally from Uciwai Nadi, the couple now reside in Auckland, New Zealand.
Despite growing up in the same area, the pair did not pay attention to each other until Pyal reached Year 12.
“Jaswan would catch the school bus back home in the afternoons after work and often we would sit together having endless conversations,” Pyal recalled vividly.
“Things began to get a little serious when I finished my Year 13 and he asked me out.”
Their first date, as Pyal remembers was a lunch date in 2009 at Jaswan’s favourite restaurant in Nadi.
“Our dating stage was quite a long journey. I have the most incredible human you could ask for.
“I knew he was the one. I was told once you know you know, and now I know! I’ll never be able to articulate that feeling.”
After completing high school, Pyal moved to New Zealand to further her studies and the pair were in a longdistance relationship for five years.
While Jaswan had a good job here in Fiji, he decided to leave and move to New Zealand to be with the love of his life and never once complained about this decision.
“That made me realise that he was the one.”
Jaswan proposed to Pyal most spectacularly when he chartered a helicopter which flew them to the top of Mt Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand.
They landed on Tasman Glacier where he went down on one knee and asked Pyal to be his life partner forever.
“Of course, I said yes, we then popped a bottle of champagne to celebrate after.”
The lovebirds got legally married on December 17, 2022, and hoped to have their Hindu wedding on the same date a year later, but according to the Hindu calendar that date was not available.
Their auspicious wedding date was set for December 16, 2023, and that was close enough.
After their pre-wedding traditional ceremonies, their long-awaited day finally arrived. It began during the day and the reception party held in the evening.
“We chose to have our Hindu wedding in Fiji, Uciwai Nadi where our love story began in the presence and blessings of all our elders and families who wouldn’t have made it if it had been in New Zealand.
“Our wedding was a traditional South Indian wedding as both Jas and I are South Indians.
“We had hashtags for our wedding and all our guests were asked to tag us on social media using the hashtags #JasWinsPyal and #Popokidhulaniya (Popo is Jas’s nickname).
“For our engagement, we had a theme of blue and rose gold so all the decorations to outfits to our engagement cake were all in blue and rose gold which was perfect.
“For our Hindu wedding, we let our guests choose and decide what they wished to wear.
“So many emotions were running through me as I walked down the aisle, but the minute I saw him waiting for me at the mandap — I reminded myself that this is it, nothing can go wrong from here.
“I was soon to become a wife to this gorgeous man, a dream we both saw 15 years ago and made it possible despite all the obstacles.”
So far, the joyous couple have enjoyed their married life, watching the HSBC World Rugby Hamilton 7s live together, going on a hot air balloon above the breathtaking scenery of the Southern Alps of New Zealand and enjoying a five-night cruise in Fiji waters for their honeymoon where they got to visit the Sawa-iLau caves.
But that’s not it, more adventures are yet to come and they aim to cherish each moment of it. “Marriage is a beautiful feeling, so do it when the right one comes along,” Pyal said.