Not everyone is lucky in love and if Cupid strikes when one is nearing 60, then there are more reasons to be happily surprised. Actor Suhasini Mulay didn’t think that she’d fall in love when she was nearing 60. But she did, thanks to social networking site Facebook.
Love was strong enough for her to take the plunge, and Suhasini tied the knot after she turned 60 last November. She married Atul Gurtu, a retired Particle Physics professor in January this year. “I guess it’s not something that people usually do,” she quips. But the feeling is great for her. More so because now she knows that whatever happens in life ahead, there is someone with her. “A person needs more than just companionship. The feeling that someone’s arm is around you is overwhelming. I’m enjoying this phase of my life tremendously and Atul is incredibly nice,” shares an elated Suhasini.
Suhasini was in a serious relationship 20 years ago. And since then she did not find anybody worth committing to. “With age, two things happen — first, you get a clear idea what you want from a relationship and what the relationship demands from you; secondly, you are ready to negotiate on many more things that you were not ready to do at a younger age,” says Suhasini.
In the past 20 years, she did not come across a man who genuinely believed that men and women are equal. “Most men say that they treat women equal to them but only few mean it,” she says. And it was by observing small things and certain qualities in Atul that she realised he doesn’t undermine women. “Atul is what I always wished my partner to be like,” she adds. It didn’t take much time for her to realise that Atul is the one for her. She decided to marry him within two-and-a-half-months of knowing him.
“When we met for the third time, he was about to retire and was ready to move to an apartment that he had bought much earlier. We had a long conversation about what we both wanted in life as individuals. That conversation had a great impact on the course of our relationship ahead. But what made the real difference was an article that he wrote in the magazine Life Positive about his wife who was suffering from cancer and how he came to terms with it,” says Suhasini, who appreciates his positive approach to coping with that tragic and trying phase.
In the article, Atul wrote about how he was shattered to discover about his wife’s ailment but he decided to make the remaining days happy for her instead of grieving and thinking about his life after her. “I was bowled over by this positive attitude,” says Suhasini. Now, she feels happily settled with him. “I have started enjoying Particle Physics and he loves to watch an actor’s life closely. It’s fun,” she concludes.
