Chennai: On this day when the world celebrates love – Valentine’s Day – we showcase a few interesting love stories to establish the strength of the emotion.
The story of 80-year-old Mugappair Thiruvalleeswarar Nagar resident, Krishnaveni and her late husband, Anandan, is one about grit and sacrifice as much as it is about love.
“We were neighbours. I knew he loved me and my heart would beat twice as fast when I saw him. But family fixed my marriage to his cousin and I was shocked,” Krishnaveni said.
“My husband acted smart and got another girl married to his cousin. But when he asked his parents and mine permission to take my hand, they refused as he was from a wealthy family,” said Krishnaveni. What happened next was a scene straight out of movies.
Krishnaveni said, “He left his family, his house and property for me and did not take even a single rupee. In fact, a big part of present-day Aminjikarai belonged to his family but he left it for me. His only possession was a lungi and a shirt.”
“He started driving load lorries to earn our daily bread. With the help of friends, he bought his own lorry after a few years. One lorry became two and soon we had a fleet and our own lorry business. Then we started a brick manufacturing unit. He even taught me about the business. It came to my aid when he was sick and passed away in his 60s,” said Krishnaveni
“But our love to this date stands strong,” she added with happy tears. They are a big happy family now and Krishnaveni’s granddaughter told her about her love for a guy before she even told it to her father. “That really made me happy,” Krishnaveni smiled.