HT Brunch Game Show: Which long distance couple survived lockdown best?

Karishma Sinha, 26 and Akshay Sharma, 26 Digital marketer and engineer

How long far apart: Since a year. She’s in Mumbai and he’s in Canada.

Keeping the spark alive: They watch movies on Netflix Watch Party and dress up sexily in private. “We are vocal about how much we want each other and we stay connected,” says Karishma.

Why they may win: “Among the men I have dated in the past, my relationship with Akshay has been the most emotionally satisfying one and I know, he’s the one I want for my life,” she says.

Why they may not: They were hesitant in the start. “Missing your partner every single day is a permanent feeling that doesn’t go away,” says Karishma.

Andrew Lowe, 30 and Richa Gupte, 27, French teacher and doctor

They’ve been in different continents since 2015

How long far apart: From 2015. Since the start, they have been on different continents.

Keeping the spark alive: She posts handwritten letters to him and they dress up for beer dates on video calls.

Why they may win: “Andy makes rhymes for me. And this one time, when I was really mad at him for something, he wrote a poem for me. Though I was fuming while reading it, the last line made me smile and we were back to normal!” says Richa who is engaged.

Why they may not: They’ve had two break-ups due to uncertainty about them being together. “When we began dating, I was a student so I couldn’t pack my bags and just move,” she shares.

V. Lakshminarayanan, 30, and Abiniya Sukumar, 30, Masters student and engineer

They’ve been apart since 2018

How long far apart: Their long distance began right after their wedding in 2018.

Keeping the spark alive: Conversations about older times, anticipation of seeing each other in the future and browsing through old photos together helps.

Why them may win: “It might sound weird but we have exchanged our perfumes so when we miss each other, we smell it to get an intimate feeling. Also, we sort our fights before hitting the bed instead of dragging it,” Lakshminarayanan says.

Why they may not: Realising the purpose of togetherness and respecting each other has helped them. “We got rid of the negative bits and focused more on the positive aspects.”

And the winners are…Andrew and Richa

“Your relationship is not your whole life”

“Andrew and Richa have been in phases of uncertainty and still found a way to get back together, not once but twice and are now engaged,” says Dr Nisha Khanna, a mental healthcare professional. “It shows that despite the highs and lows, you need to find a way to stick with each other,” she says.

“In any long-distance relationship (LDR), both partners must trust each other. Never consider your relationship as your whole life. Personal space is extremely important. Also, thanks to technology, you can always enjoy some private time by sexting and with phone sex, if both the partners are comfortable. Sex is one of the essential needs in Maslow’s heirarchy of needs, so take the extra step to keep the intimacy alive.”

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From HT Brunch, November 29, 2020

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