Dubai: Charu Dhawan and Shahin Mansuri married for 12 years are true soul mates who have mastered the art of respecting each other’s religion and giving personal space to each other.
Dhawan, a housewife, and Mansuri an Oxford-educated professional in private equity, are UK nationals of Indian origin. They met for the first time in London and had a fairy tale romance for two years before they got married.
- Charu Dhawan | Hindu woman married to a Muslim
Dhawan explained: “Shahin and I hail from India and while I am a Hindu and my husband, a Muslim, we both knew we were soul mates the moment we met and religion never came between us. We both believe that religion is a very personal matter and what we have in common is a solid respect for humanity and humane values. I have great reverence for Shahin’s religion and his values and he reciprocates that. Our love for each other has only grown and we give each other that space to be who we are today. It has helped strengthen our bond more than ever.”
During Ramadan, Dhawan makes it a point to be by her husband’s side and supports him completely as he goes through the rituals of the day. She said: “I like to go with the flow. I rise up with him for suhour and during iftar I make sure I assist in the kitchen to help the cook create the kind of food he likes. I bring forward my dinner time and we enjoy our meals together.”
Mansuri does the same when Dhawan observes her daylong fast for the Hindu festival of Karwa Chauth that married Hindu women keep for their husband’s long life and prosperity. “Shahin stands a hundred per cent behind me when I observe Karwa Chauth and when I end my fast on that day. I think in these 12 years that we have been married and the two years we dated before, our love and respect for each other has only grown stronger.”
Mansuri expressed his feeling of gratitude during the fasting month: “My wife supports me during Ramadan to carry out all religious activities. With the blessing of Allah, my wife and I go to the mosque together to help provide for the underprivileged — charity being of prime importance to us. We believe that religion is very personal. Basic human values remain exactly the same between us. Be Good and do good! I stand by my wife’s ways of her beliefs as she stands by mine.”
