Imagine you find someone who shares the same dream as you and you eventually fall in love with that person as you work towards the shared dream. This is what happened with Avi and Anita. The couple, who now runs a successful flying school, met in the rarest of circumstances and once they realised their love for each other, there was no looking back. This Valentine's week, let's find out more about the duo who continue to fly in love.
In conversation with SheThePeople, Anita Deshpande shares how she and her spouse's love for flying got them together, how they fought against stigma, and how their shared dream is their biggest inspiration.
Adventurous Love Story Of Anita and Avi
"Flying had been my dream since childhood, but we couldn't afford the Commercial pilot license. I wanted to apply to the air force, but that option wasn’t open to women. I was always waiting for an opportunity to fly.
In 1998, while I was working a regular job, I heard about a paragliding course in Mumbai. I immediately applied for half-day leave and went to check it out! At that time, there was hardly anyone interested in this sport. As soon as I tried paragliding, I fell in love. Avi was the instructor conducting the classes. For a year, we flew together and became close friends.
Once, I was driving on a very rough road, and he appeared to be so impressed that he jokingly asked me to marry him. I never wanted to marry, as I always thought I was too independent to settle down, and Avi shared the same thoughts. We spent a lot of time together outdoors, flying in the arms of nature and eventually fell in love. Our opinions and perspectives about life were very similar. We both wanted to live life on our terms. We had a shared interest in spirituality. I loved how he loved life and wanted to live it to the fullest. No one understood our relationship or our passion for flying. When I opened up to my parents about marrying Avi, they didn’t approve. I wanted to do what made me happy, and when I saw that my choice was causing my family pain, I decided to move out.
In 2000, we decided to start our flying school. We didn’t have the financial resources. All we had was our love for each other, and flying was our motivation. We put all our savings into the school. Initially, we had 3-4 students every month, but slowly our dream started coming true, and the school started growing!
In 2005 with the blessings of both our parents, we got married. Neither of us wanted kids, which is a taboo in our Indian society, but Avi and I chose to live on our terms. We worked towards our school– one of the largest schools in Asia that has International accreditation. It has been 23 years since we started, and we have taught hundreds of students. We fell in love in the sky, far above the ground in the realm of nature and have lived life to the fullest on our terms."
Narrated by Anita Deshpande to Saloni Karnani, Team STP.
Suggested reading: Love Beyond Borders: Unique Stories From Kerala To Korea And Punjab To LA
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