I started blogging about the world of therapy on xanga in 2004. A blogger called ousiadroid and I somehow started chatting about art and psychology. While his art was fascinating, some of his posts were scary, so I was kind of relieved to find out he was miles away in Dubai. I'd been chatting with ousiadroid (who I later got to know as Andre) for about six months but had never met him. He kept insisting I meet his best friend Gagan (Xin on xanga), amongst several other people in Bombay. Both their xanga pages had posts about technology and superheroes, which weren't really my areas of interest. Besides, when you're talking to people you don't really know, like ousiadroid and xin, it's easy to get a bit paranoid; though I have since learned that people are far warmer in real life than their virtual avatars. Gagan and I spoke for about two weeks before finally meeting on a Monday. He proposed that Thursday. We were engaged—with our parents approval—by Saturday.
It felt right and happened in the blink of an eye, which is a big deal for someone like me who is perpetually cautious. In fact, anyone who knows either Gagan or me will tell you that neither of us is hasty. When I look back, I wonder at the fact that my mother never asked about my friend Andre—who I finally met when he and a few other friends from xanga came down for my wedding in December 2005.
What drew me to Gagan is that one of the first questions he asked was, 'If everyone talks to you when they are having a bad time, who do you turn to when you hit a low?' I'm not sure why I trusted my gut but I did. I guess the fact that we were both ready to get married and the fact that we were both North Indian was encouraging. Gagan makes me a much calmer person and he says I do the same for him. He also says he spends less and is a better person because of me. I'm not so sure about his last two claims, but I'll take his word for it.
~Sonali Gupta, Psychologist
Read more cool love stories:
Marriages are made in Online Heaven: dnai.in/czeu
Hate at First Jive: dnai.in/czem
That thing around her neck: dnai.in/cyZx
Will you be mine? (Starring three awesome women who made the first move) dnai.in/czf9
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