Abhirami-Dejan: Two Continents, One Martial Arts Training And An Epic Love Story

There are some stories that make you wonder about fate more than anything else. The circumstances in which Kerala-based Abhirami Murali and Macedonia-based Dejan Bogatinovski indicate the power of how the right people can come together at the right time when they least expect to.

Dejan flew down to India from Europe looking for an ayurvedic remedy for severe back pain. He landed in Kerala and found more than he wished for. While on treatment, his interest in Kalaripayattu (a form of Martial Arts) brought him to a Kalari centre owned and run by Abhi and her family and the rest, as they say, is history.

Abhirami shared with SheThePeople how she met the love of her life unexpectedly, how her marriage stands rock solid on the pillar of mutual respect, and why their story is a testimony to the wonders of destiny.

How Abhi And Dejan found each other

"Dejan belongs to Macedonia, Europe, and visited Kerala in March 2022 seeking ayurvedic treatment for his back pain. He developed a great interest in Kalaripayattu (martial art form) residing in the state eventually. I’m a martial arts artist and also run a Kalaripayattu.

There was this great energy we both felt the first time we saw each other and as we spent time together training and getting to know each other, we fell in love. While we belonged to different continents, these factors were never barriers. If anything, our languages and completely opposite cultures intrigued us and made us interact even more. We were completely in love and after Dejan proposed, we decided to tell our respective families about the same. We got our families talking on Zoom. They were on board after talking to us and each other. Dejan soon left for Macedonia and I followed suit to meet his family. We officially registered our marriage in his country in August 2022 in the presence of his family and then planned the South Indian wedding for 2023. My relationship with him stands solid because of our communication. While there’s always love, how we convey that love to one another is also important to us. We love sitting together and planning and facing all situations with a shared force, which also helps us learn more about each other. We had been planning the Indian traditional wedding soon after our registered one. In January this year, his family and friends flew down to India and they were completely blown away by Kerala and the South Indian traditions. It was good to see how they attempted to learn our culture and language and mingled with the people around them.

On January 21, 2023, we got married as per tradition at the Guruvayur temple. The wedding was impactful in more ways than one. It was an introduction to the rich culture of god’s own country for Dejan’s family. I could see their excitement and it made us all happy. Our wedding day remains the most precious moment of our lives because it’s a testimony to the wonders that destiny and love bring with it, and the shared respect Dejan and I carry for each other in everything that we do together as individuals and as a couple."

Suggested reading: Took Us 13 Years To Make Folks Understand Love Has Nothing To Do With Religion