Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Brunch
THE OTHER WOMAN IN MILIND SOMAN’S LIFE
is Milind than your dad?
“Hahahaha!” the 28-year old laughs heartily, then says, “Milind is not older than my father. He is a year older than my mother though, and my mom and dad have an age gap of 10 years. So you do the math!”
Milind, you’re fitter than guys many years younger than you. But does it bother you that your wife will still be hitting middle age when you’re getting seriously old?
“I do think of it sometimes, but it doesn’t really bother me,” says Milind. “We will see what it’s like when we get there. We have loved every moment of being together ever since we met, and I wouldn’t swap the last six years for anything!”
Et tu, Ankita? Did you stop to think that even Ironman will get old, and you’ll still be in your prime?
“Age is nothing but a number,” says Ankita. “When we fall in love, we connect with someone mentally, spiritually and physically. We love their very essence. So no matter how old or how young we stay, we will always have that.”
“BE BOLD ENOUGH TO LIVE YOUR TRUTH. YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF TO BE WITH THE ONE
YOU LOVE.”
NORWAY TO SPAIN VIA PORTUGAL
Leaving me with no choice but to move to more comfortable subjects, the unusual couple humours me with stories full of romance.
“He proposed to me on a cold November day on top of a hill in Tromso, Norway,” says Ankita. “The Arctic in the winter is breathtaking. Milind took me to a hilltop where we could see the city spread below us, and just as we
—ANKITA KONWAR
were staring into a painting-like view, he said, marry me.”
And the wedding? We hear Milind carried your dress to the venue in a backpack?
“Ankita had always told me that she found the idea of churches and white wedding gowns really romantic,” says Milind. “So when we decided to get married, she wanted a church wedding in addition to the Hindu wedding, and I promised her one on one condition: I would choose the church. Of course, the church I chose was Santiago de Compostela in Spain, and the only right way to get there is to walk. So we did. Over 300 km from Lisbon in Portugal, with me carrying the most precious cargo of the white wedding dress in my backpack!”
MARRIAGE! AND A BABY CARRIAGE?
How have the last two years been, we ask.
Milind volunteers an answer. “I have always been a solitary person, but being with Ankita at home, running, travelling or just hanging around, has given me some of the most warm, beautiful moments of my life. Ankita has always been a loner too, and I think for some reason, we are just comfortable being around each other. I think running brought us closer together as well: Ankita started running the full marathon almost two years ago, and we ran her first, which was the Athens marathon, together every step, and both of us cried at the finish line.”
“My father was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and was hospitalised for almost two months, and I was in a really bad place mentally,” says Ankita. “But the way Milind stood by me and took care of me, I think it brought us even closer!”
Tell us, Ankita, what are the top three things that you must still teach a husband double your age?
“Only three?” Ankita smiles in reply, then says without missing a step: “One. Life is much simpler when you sort out your priorities. Two. Sometimes, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. And three. Wet towels are not a good thing for your mattress!”
And Milind, tell us the top three things to learn from a wife who is half your age?
“Patience, patience, patience,” Milind answers. “It is so much fun to see the world through two pairs of eyes, one 26 years younger than the other.”
Where does this marriage head to: do you both want children, a home? Where? When?
“We talk about children sometimes,” says Milind. “But nothing’s decided. Sometimes we feel we should, and at other times it’s like, really?”
“Children are a may be,” Ankita echoes. But we haven’t decided when. We like spending time on the beach and in the hills. Thankfully, we can switch houses depending on our mood.”
CHOOSE LOVE. ALWAYS
Finally, both of you: if there are others who have an unusually large age difference but want to get married, what would your advice to them be?
“Just do it. Life is short,” volunteers Milind.
But it is young Ankita who has the final, most sensible word. “Always stand by the things you believe in. Do the things your heart says are right. People are entitled to their opinions, so let them have them. Be bold enough to live your truth. You owe it to yourself to be with the one you love. Let’s face it: 10 years of happiness is far greater than 30 years of regret!”