157. 1964: A Love Story in LIC!

 

1964: A Love Story in LIC!

Thousand Full Moon: Shrimati Kunda Kapadia, 81+
Contributed by: Rohini

Thousand Full Moon: Shrimati Kunda Kapadia 81+

Contributed by: Rohini

Shrimati Kunda Kapadia Knee Kunda Godbole was born in November 1941. Her father was an advocate and a freedom fighter. Mother was a homemaker and a proponent of education. Kunda was one of the seven siblings.

She shares the story of how she met her husband and overcame obstacles to marry him.

It so happened that Kunda, after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree, accepted a job in the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). As she and her boss got to know each other over the course of the next three years, they developed a fondness for each other. He would ask her out to eat dinner, watch a movie, or go on an outing, but she consistently turned him down as she did not see herself doing that. One day, she was direct: if he continued these invitations, she wouldn't agree. He responded casually, asking if she'd consider being his life partner. Her answer? An immediate yes!

The young couple was happy and elated, but there was a problem. She was a Maharashtrian, and he was a Gujarati. The year was 1964, and a girl and a boy entering a self-arranged love marriage was not common. Her mother was vehemently opposed to the idea, while her father, a progressive, was in favor and morally supported her. He was unable to take the lead and see the wedding through as he had completely lost his vision due to an accident.

Kunda’s eldest brother took the initiative and stood by her assuring her of all his support. The boy’s father was fully on board, but the mother was not too much in favor of this alliance. Kunda tried to convince her mother of the soundness of her decision to no avail but was firm in her choice and decided to go ahead with her wedding without her mother’s blessing.

She was married in a small ceremony in the presence of a few close relatives. The couple could inform their LIC colleagues after the fact, and since they did not see Kunda continuing as a subordinate to her new husband at work, she resigned from her job.

Kunda, with the help of her mother-in-law, learned the new language, cooking, and the culture and became a strong pillar of her new family. She fully supported her husband’s independent consulting practice and completely shouldered the responsibility of one of the branch offices. Over time her mother softened to quite an extent allowing Kunda to re-establish her relations with her parents and siblings.

Today, reflecting on her life, Kunda feels content and satisfied with her decisions. She has two well-settled children and is proud for her close relationships with them. She enjoys strong bonds with her daughter, who married a foreign national, and her daughter-in-law. Kunda chuckles when her daughter-in-law jokingly says that she prefers Kunda to her own mother.

We applaud Kunda's bravery and unwavering choices, and becoming a role model for all. Cheers to her joyful and peaceful years ahead!