Ankita Konwar Milind Soman Marriage: Happiness Should Matter, Age Gap Shouldn't

Ankita Konwar Milind Soman age gap: Ankita Konwar, a former Cabin Crew Executive and the wife of actor-model Milind Soman, on Wednesday opened up how she tackled the 'don't marry an older man' stereotype. She revealed that she has always done what makes her happy and that people get weird about the unexplored or the unknown. Soman and Konwar have an age difference of 26 years. Despite the age gap, they decided to listen to their hearts and tied the knot on April 22, 2018.

On Wednesday, Ankita Konwar held an "Ask me anything" session on Instagram. During the session, a fan asked, "How did you tackle/manage this Indian stereotype of 'don't marry an older man'?" To this Konwar said, "Anything that's not common in a society, people usually like to talk about it. And it's not just limited to India."

She further added that humans as a species have the tendency to get weird about the unknown, the unexplored, also called as fear. "A survival skill". According to her sometimes we are not conscious enough to distinguish between the utility and the waste of that skill. "I have always done what makes me happy," she concluded.

The question of children isn't far away, whenever a married woman opens herself to fielding questions from the society, digitally or otherwise. "It's been years of ur marriage, what do you think about family planning?" one user asked Konwar during the same AMA session. To this, she replied, "We are a planned family."

Age no bar

Ever since Konwar garnered social media attention for marrying Milind Soman, she has been subjected to trolling every now and then. Some bashed her for being a "gold digger", others mocked her for her choice of partner. But where does this criticism stem from. Most people are comfortable with choosing partners who are more or less the same age as them because that is the guideline that society has conditioned us to adhere to. It is assumed that a smaller age gap helps partners bond well with each other. But isn't there more to bonding between a couple than lower age difference? Can all relationships be formed based on set parameters that society thinks will guarantee a longer run? So what if a couple has a bog age gap, maybe they share an understanding better than many similar aged couples. Perhaps they found each other worth trusting and spending a lifetime with.

Why do we consider age difference to be the deciding factor of a successful marriage? Can't we simply wish well for couples who are happy despite the difference in their age? For a partnership to last, it is important to be happy and compatible with each other, rather than just be of the same age as your partner. An unhappy marriage turns toxic with time and makes one feel imprisoned.

Image Credit: Ankita Konwar/ Instagram