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Twogether Discover the varied hues of love with six couples who have kept the magic alive through the decades CADENCES OF THE HEART For more than half a century, H L Wadhwa and his wife Prem of New Delhi have had the perfect jugalbandi of a soulful marriage. While she has the voice of a nightingale, he used to sing along and tease the most melodious tunes out of the harmonium and piano. Wadhwa, who retired as Programme Director, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, suffered a partial stroke a decade ago and lost his voice but the 80 year-old still accompanies his lady love on the keyboards. "We often listen to a CD of children's songs we recorded for our grandchildren," says 73 year-old Prem, who retired as Deputy Director (Library), Lok Sabha. The couple met in pre-Partition Pakistan. "Both our families were interested in music. Both of us sang and he would compose tunes on the harmonium. Our families liked each other and our friendship became a meaningful marriage," she says, blushing. When their golden wedding anniversary rolled around, the couple hosted a big bash; the timeless classic they aptly chose as 'their song' for the event was Aye meri zohra jabeen from the film Waqt. As they say, if music be the food of love, play on. — Ambica Gulati SPICING IT UP The secret ingredient in this delish Hyderabadi biryani is something money can't buy. It's a shared passion for cooking-great bonding time!-and 35 years of unstinting love that makes everything JD and Shrilekha do really special. Col (retd) Jatinder Dev Khanna, 64, and his 55 year-old wife live on the outskirts of Secunderabad. This love for cooking comes from their large families where food has always been a focal point; their families always ate together. "Love means sharing, mutual respect and loads of open communication, and although we do lose our cool sometimes, we are always able to laugh it off afterwards. Over the years, we have learnt to be more accepting of each other's weaknesses and more appreciative of each other's strengths," says Shrilekha, affectionately nicknamed 'Tinu'. JD, an adoring husband, drives his wife, who is a coordinator in a business school, to work every day. If JD has a steaming pot of mutton or chicken curry ready to serve, Shrilekha quickly does the chapattis and they're good to go. Eating out is another favourite pastime-when a new outlet opens, guess who's first in line? — Shyamola Khanna

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