Spoken-word artist Nayab Midha from Rajasthan and Delhi-based software development engineer Ayush Chandhok have written a love story that resists convention while embracing family, craft and care for the planet. After being crowned Mr and Miss Fresher 2014 at a college event, their story truly began in 2016, when they met again on a student exchange programme in Malaysia. Assigned to kitchen duty together while volunteering at an NGO for specially-abled children, they fell in love somewhere between the chop of a vegetable and the swipe of a dishcloth.
“We’re just two people who slowly built a life around love, friendship and respect,” says Midha. “I’ve always been driven, a bit of a dreamer who wants to change the world, and Ayush is the calm to that storm. He’s fun, grounded and sees life with so much lightness. I think that’s what made me fall for him.” Testament to that lightness was Chandhok’s surprise dance performance for her at the cocktail night. “This is a memory I will cherish for life,” she adds. “As a feminist, I often thought no man would be able to match my energy or understand my beliefs, but Ayush didn’t just understand me, he celebrated me.”
After eight years together, Midha decided to change the narrative and propose herself. “One day, when Ayush’s mom brought up marriage, I jokingly said that I’d only say yes if he proposed somewhere nice,” she recalls. “His immediate retort was, ‘Ab kahan gayi equality?’ That stuck with me, so after one of my shows in Delhi, in the presence of both our families, I got down on one knee.”
The couple knew they wanted to exchange vows surrounded by nature and chose Sayaji Resorts & Spa for their wedding in Udaipur, nestled between the Aravalli hills. With the help of Epoch Events, they planned a three-day celebration: an intimate dhol evening to welcome guests; a Phulkari-themed mehendi full of Punjabi colour and warmth; a classic Delhi-style cocktail night; a bright, joyful haldi; a pastel wedding under the open Udaipur sky; and a Sufi after-party to end the weekend on a melodic note honouring their shared love for the music.
Not ones to be boxed in by tradition, they found ways to make every detail their own. “The wedding rituals were conducted by women pandits and we exchanged custom vows. I walked in with a few lines that I’d written for Ayush playing in the background, so it felt completely ours,” says Midha. “I’ve always been uncomfortable with the term kanyadaan, as if I’m a thing to be given away to someone. The women pandits from Acharya Shruti’s team explained to me that there was no such thing as kanyadaan in our oldest rituals. It’s actually called Kanya Var Pani Grahan, where the boy and girl promise a lifetime of support to each other.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: vogue.in
