How this husband stood by his wife when she lost her eye-sight after 2 years of marriage, would make you believe in True love.
In today’s times, when youngsters are losing belief in the power of love and the institution of marriage, the story of this couple might force you to think otherwise. The beautiful love story of how this couple fought extraordinary life circumstances with immense courage and strength would not only leave you teary-eyed but also emotional.
It is heart-touching how this husband, Rajeev, refused to give up on his wife, Seema, and life when life hit a rough patch. When his wife lost her vision within 2 years of marriage, Rajeev’s parents asked him to leave her. But he refused to listen to them and made sure he took every step to make the life of his wife and son happier.
Seema shared how her husband unconditionally supported her through her sudden blindness with HOB. She mentioned how they fell in love with each other and got married:
“We’d meet in secret; he was my landlord’s son. After everyone slept, we’d sit on the stairs between our houses and talk for hours. We’d even sneak out to a restaurant nearby and then go for a film. We called them ‘friend dates’ until he gave me a chit that said, ‘I like you.’ We didn’t want anyone to know about us, so we started using signals to communicate.
We’d shine mirrors– twice meant parents weren’t home and thrice meant they were. When I jingled my bangles twice, it was a signal that he could come to meet me– two jingles exactly. We wrote love letters; we’d leave them tucked in the light bulb in the staircase. Once when we were sitting on the steps, he asked, ‘Will you marry me?’ I felt my heart race and said yes. Our parents agreed and we got married.
But within 6 months of pregnancy, she lost her vision because of complications during pregnancy. And that time her in-laws tried to convince her husband to leave her. But her husband refused to give up on his wife.
We had our son, Paras, soon after– but within 6 months, I lost vision in my right eye because of complications during my pregnancy. His parents tried convincing him to leave me– ‘You’ve only been married for 2 years, it’s not too late to leave her.’ They threatened him and said, ‘Leave the house and the family business if you want to stay with her.’
Within a year, I lost vision in both my eyes.
I remember Rajeev and I were at the park when I broke down. He said, ‘Seema, I’m never going to leave you.’ He decided to leave his family and we moved to Delhi. We had no money; we sold all my jewellery to pay for my treatments. In a few months, he got a job at an export house and things began to settle.
Soon after, we went to Chennai for my treatment for 3 months. During this time, he did everything; he fed me, changed my clothes, took me to the bathroom and helped me walk. I then enrolled in a blind school which helped me in taking a step towards doing things on my own. Meanwhile, he took care of the house, work and Paras.
Further adding how Rajeev took the smallest precautions to make sure that she never gets hurt, she mentioned:
Since Rajeev was at work all day, he put ropes around the house so that I could find my way. I’d practice what I’d learned in blind school and listen to the radio. In the evenings, I’d cook; Rajeev would stand behind me and make sure I was doing okay. I’d cut my finger at least once a week; Rajeev would tie my bandage and say, ‘God and I won’t let anything happen to you.’
Rajeev moved to a management position over the years and our son got a job after his graduation. That’s when we got more financially stable and soon, Paras got married– we all live together. During lockdown, we all started a YouTube cooking channel together– we make videos fortnightly.
We’ve been married for 31 years, but till date, Rajeev makes the little things count. Like, he doesn’t want to startle me when he rings the doorbell after work. So instead, he gives me a missed call– 2 rings exactly.”
At IFORHER, we are in awe of this couple’s strength and determination. We hope Rajeev’s inspiring story of supporting his wife, Seema, through such a tough life will encourage many more men to come forward and support their wives.