All for love

Does destiny play a role in helping you meet your soulmate? "It certainly does," says Shaik Niyaz, 22, about his pretty wife Shameema (the couple seen here on Mamzar Beach in Sharjah). The two met at the age of 13 while at school in India. Their friendship weathered all storms for more than nine years and blossomed into true love that led the couple to finally exchange their wedding vows on January 1 this year.

Niyaz and Shameema have been UAE residents since childhood. "I was studying at the Indian High School
in Dubai while Shameema went to a school in Al Ain." At that time, they were unaware of each other's existence. Then, as destiny would have it, they both respectively left for India and joined the same school – Muslim Education Society in Mallapuram, Kerala.

The two struck a deep friendship at school, sharing ideas, curriculum and world views. They were the best of friends and weren't even aware of their true feelings for each other till they graduated from high school and went their separate ways to different colleges. "We both realised it was love when we missed each other madly in college."

Shameema's parents wanted an early marriage for their daughter, but Niyaz begged his mother to intervene on his behalf. So she appealed to Shameema's parents to wait for her son to graduate and find a good job, assuring them of his sincerity.

Last year, Shameema accompanied by her father, returned to Dubai and took up a sales job. Niyaz came to the UAE this year and found a job. As planned, the couple were finally able to marry with the blessings of their respective families. "It's a dream come true for us," says Niyaz. For them tomorrow, Valentine's Day, is going to be a very special day.

– See also Gulf News today (Nation, Speak Your Mind and Your Turn) for more reader content on the topic.

– Suchitra Bajpai Chaudhary is Senior Feature Writer, Friday