"... Raj and I were instantly attracted to each other. We started seeing each other secretly - because I had a feeling my parents wouldn't approve..." My story is about kismet - or destiny. I really believe our paths are decided the day we are born. Meeting my husband, how our paths crossed, these were fundamental changes in my life. I chose to tell this story because of the obstacles we overcame, but we were meant to be together - that was our destiny. I am 39 years old, married to Raj and live in Moddershall with our two boys. Most of my family are based in Leicester - that's where I came from. Professionally, I'm a systems analyst, though I've recently gained a PGCE teaching qualification and am now very busy with our family business. My hobbies include badminton, swimming and reading. I enjoyed Inside Lives tremendously, everyone was helpful, I met lovely, interesting people and it was great fun!
Every part of the cosmos has its own spirit, its period of existence, it's death and it's reincarnation. This is one of the primary principles of Hindu belief. At 15, I met someone who would change my whole life. I felt I had met him before and that I would spend my life with him. I felt that in my previous life I'd been associated with him. And in this life I was destined to be with him - this is what Hindus call Kismet. Raj and I were instantly attracted to each other. We started seeing each other secretly - because I had a feeling my parents wouldn't approve. When we went to university, we ended up in different cities miles apart. It was too hard to keep seeing each other and eventually we split up. Although the thought of him always nagged at the back of my mind. Four years went by and we didn't have any contact with each other. I graduated and got a job in Coventry. Then one day, I bumped into Raj. It felt strange, as if it was only yesterday that I'd last been with him. It turned out all this time we'd been working within a mile of each other. We immediately started again where we'd left off. But we discovered we'd been right in thinking my parents wouldn't approve. My parents were stricter than his. They expected me to marry and settle down within our community - they'd already started to look for suitors for me. Raj and I come from different worlds. We are both Asian, we are both Hindus, but our castes are different which meant no one would accept us. Although, I felt that I was destined to spend my life with Raj, choosing to marry him meant going against my parents' wishes and it was the most difficult thing I've ever done. I knew that if they didn't approve they'd disown me. It was a gamble and I had to take it. After some weeks my parents gave us consent to marry and our life began. I don't think it's our first and I don't think it'll be the last life we spend together. | 
