Mridula Tripathi, the wife of acclaimed actor Pankaj Tripathi, has recounted their first meeting, highlighting the major role played by a ‘rumaal' (handkerchief) in their love story. Mridula reminisced about how she first saw Pankaj Tripathi through a photograph. “I saw my husband and he saw me on May 23, 1993, for the first time,” she said. This first face-to-face encounter occurred on the day of Mridula's brother's tilak ceremony. “We saw each other a lot in the tilak. I tell Pankaj that I first saw you when you were just growing a beard, and now I see you with spectacles. It has been a long journey,” she said during her appearance on the podcast, Conversations With Atul.
Over time, as their connection deepened, Mridula noted that the “liking was mutual, and that he started looking for reasons to meet.” It was during these meetings that the handkerchief played a significant role in their love story. “The conversation started like ‘haath dhoya to rumaal chahiye' (since I have washed my hands, I need a handkerchief). So, I was the one to give the handkerchief to him. Rumaal dene main hi haath touch ho gaya (while handing over the handkerchief, our hands touched). Through that slight touch only you got butterflies those days,” she said.
Their romance that blossomed in 1993, eventually culminated in marriage in 2004.
Before their first face-to-face encounter in 1993, Mridula said that she had seen Pankaj Tripathi's photograph before her brother's wedding. “It was a girl's photo. Her parents and two of her brothers were also in the photo,” she said.
Mridula then added how she took the photographs to school, eager to show them to two of her closest friends. “They saw my bhabhi, but they also saw the two brothers. The elder brother was married with children.” Her friends, however, started teasing her with the younger brother. She added, “My friends said that the younger brother would look good with me.”
Mridula shared that their conversations were initially hesitant, influenced by family dynamics. “Since he was my sister-in-law's brother, my mother suggested I refer to him as ‘bhaiya.' But I found it difficult to do so. I began by addressing him as Pankaji ji instead. I never called him bhaiya or Pankaj,” she said.
Reflecting on their bond, Mridula said she still calls Pankaj Tripathi“pati”. Mridula described their romance as “very organic,” noting that she even penned a letter to Pankaj about her desire to marry him while he was studying at the National School of Drama in New Delhi.