How Avilika Dhara’s Grandparents’ Letters Makes Her Believe In True Love Connection

A young Avilika Dhara tells me that in a world where confusion around both relationships and situationships is slowly blurring the lines, she tends to be hopeful about love when she looks at her grandparents.

Avilika's grandparents, who met through an arranged marriage system, surpassed all challenges together because of the trust and connection they built over the years. In this conversation with SheThePeople, Avilika Dhar talks about her grandparents' love story, highlights the letters that became their love language, and explains why the power of honest intention goes a long way in sustaining any relationship.

Avilika Dhara: Letters are my grandparents' love language

“In the mid-1970s, my grandpa Arabindra Karati, a city businessman from Howrah, met my teacher grandma Kalyani, a village girl from Midnapur in an arranged marriage setup. He was struck by her grace, kindness and intelligence the first time he met her. She, in turn, was impressed by his mannerism and charm. Their families decided to get them married when they both expressed interest in each other.

The two started learning more about each other with time and fell in love. However, due to work-bound circumstances, Grandpa soon had to travel and work in another city and Grandma stayed back home. The long-distance marriage led them to stay apart for long periods and they missed each other a lot. He started writing letters to her during those times and kept her updated with everything he saw around him, even long after they had children. The letters were filled with love, affection, strength and encouragement. She always looked forward to the letter day, which kept the connection between the two alive.

It wasn’t a smooth ride as they also faced challenges that put a strain on their relationship with daily issues and financial crises as well. However, Grandpa always assured Grandma that if their communication and connection were strong enough, they would win half the battles easily together. And that’s what they did, they communicated. At a time, when the digital world was a distant dream, they made all their efforts to stay communicate through letters.

They raised their children with love and care and eventually started living together permanently after a decade. Today, they stand together, celebrating over four decades of marriage. Their story serves as a testament to the power of honest intention and the strength of a strong bond. Their story inspires my family to cherish the relationships that we have. Their love letters to each other remind me that you can love someone even when you are not with them in person and that honest efforts go a long way in sustaining any relationship.”

Watch their video here.

Suggested reading: Through Military Life And Beyond: Love From The Age Of Letter Writing