It started with a courtship and finally moved on to an arranged marriage. But more importantly, for MD of Cybercity Builders & Developers Pvt. Ltd, Venu Vinod Reddy and wife Sapthala, their three decades together have been fantastic.
They first met in 1986. The decision was made jointly by their families — in accordance with tradition. Venu and Sapthala believe in tradition and say they’ve seen it work. “Venu and I come from very different backgrounds.
I am Andhra-born, brought up in Bengaluru and Venu comes from an old traditional Telangana background. From our first meeting in 1986, our journey together has been lovely,” says Sapthala.
They got married after five months of courtship. “We stole a moment to look at each other,” recalls Venu, about their big day. Sapthala adds, “Till today it has been the most beautiful day of our lives. I was draped in a beige Kanjeevaram sari with a red border; Venu wore a white dhoti and a kurta. The expression in his eyes while tying the mangalsutra is something that I can never forget.”
Venu adds, “We were married in Hyderabad since many of our relatives were living in the city. Our wedding was in the morning, followed by very lengthy ceremonies.”
After marriage, came the settling-in period where the two, who until recently had been strangers, got to know each other. Venu and Sapthala use the phrase “love grows” to explain this phase.
“It wasn’t love at first sight. In an arranged marriage, I think we grew to love each other, which I think is more enduring,” says Venu. Sapthala adds to that: “You meet a whole new family. Start a new life altogether. You gain an understanding of each other and share your feelings, and then you come close and fall in love.”
Though they are different personalities, they compliment each other very well. “He is like my best friend, as well as my life partner.” The best part of being married, Venu says is: “It’s about making this relationship perfect and sharing experiences with a person who means a lot.”
It’s also normal for a couple to quarrel but the key is how you handle conflict. Sapthala says, “If one of us is angry, the other one is quiet, and then it returns to normalcy in a few hours.”
The couple, who has two kids — Srivardhan and Sripriya — adds, “If you have a loving spouse, life is beautiful. To make any marriage work we need to have patience, keep our cool under stressful conditions. With small and intimate gestures both should reinforce their love for each other.”
