Real Life Story
For This Interfaith Couple, It was Love Almost at First Byte
Topics: Inter-Faith,Starting Out,Dating,Getting Serious
There were no Catholic priests or Muslim clerics at our wedding. It was a non-religious affair and in the best possible ways.
It all started at the Trident Hotel in Mumbai when Tracy Tauro’s printer got jammed, and Anwar Khan walked in to fix it. Little did they know that they would get married in a year.
“I could see that he was a quiet, introverted guy who just wanted to get the work done and leave,” she said. “But there was clearly something about him that appealed to me from day one.”
As days went by, Tracy realised that they have quite a few friends in common at work. Soon they found themselves in each other’s company in social gatherings at the workplace. It took them just a few weeks to become friends.
But there was a catch - she was dating someone else back then.
“My mother is my best friend,” she said. “I tell her everything about my life. So even though I was dating someone else at that time, I would keep talking to her about Anwar. She told me, ‘Are you sure he’s just your friend? Doesn’t sound like it,’ and that was the first time it dawned on me that perhaps she might be right.”
Soon after, Anwar surprised her at a friend’s party by confessing his feelings for her, and there was no looking back from that day.
“I was taken aback. I could never imagine Anwar doing that in a million years considering how shy and introverted he is, but he did it for us. I’m glad that he did,” Tracy admitted.
Yet, things weren’t as perfect as you’d think they’d be. In fact, Tracy was initially hesitant to start dating Anwar because she knew that interfaith relationships aren’t easily accepted in India. But their love for each other was too powerful. And the question of marriage popped up pretty early on in their relationship.
As expected by Tracy, it wasn’t an easy journey.
“His parents were quite okay with it. But my parents were avowedly against it. I knew I had to have them on board because I know all too well that they only have my best interests in mind,” she explained. “It took me a year of consistent persuasion till they finally came through. And how rewarding that was to see everyone on board and genuinely happy.”
When Tracy’s parents met Anwar for the first time, they immediately warmed up to him. “They were actually worried for him after the first meeting... He was this quiet, simple man, and I was the opposite - an out and out extrovert,” she joked. They got married in a non-religious ceremony in February 2020. “There were no Catholic priests or Muslim clerics at our wedding. It was a non-religious affair and in the best possible ways.”
Conversions from either side were out of the question. Tracy celebrated her first Eid later that year and Anwar, his first proper Christmas.
Since they got married just a few weeks before the global pandemic hit, a honeymoon was out of the question. But that doesn't cause the couple dismay.
“We initially had plans – Maldives, Goa, the usual suspects. Now with the way things keep fluctuating, I’ve given up hopes of going anywhere. But the fact that I’m with someone who I love every day makes everything better,” Tracy signed off.
Source: Arman Khan, VICE Author
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