Ankita Pandey Vallikappen tells the love stories of four couples.

Almost perfectly matched

They quibble affectionately. Pull each other's legs in friendly banter. Their relationship is one of perfect ease. Geetali Kumar, 29, and Kapil Shukla, 30, are almost perfectly matched. They met in 2009. Three years later, they are husband and wife.

Their love story began in Singapore, where the two had come from India to pursue a Master of Business Administration degree from the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School.

Mr Shukla, who works in sales for Oracle, says their first interaction, common in today's tech age, was online. They were one of the first two students from India to get their admission confirmation from NUS and began interacting on the school forums and on various other networking sites. However, it was only seven months later that they met, when the two boarded the same flight from Mumbai to Singapore to start the new phase of their life. Mr Shukla says: "I was drawn to her from the start. I felt a kind of ease in our interaction, despite never having met her face to face."

The couple says over the course of the MBA as their interaction grew, so did their closeness. They began seeking each other out. Confided in each other. And these strong bonds of friendship soon turned into something deeper.

Ms Kumar, a private equity investor, says: "He became like my family. Someone in whom I found comfort. I remember I was admitted to hospital during the MBA. It was Kapil who took care of everything. Informing my parents. Giving them updates about my condition. Even my family came to rely on him at that time."

Then she adds with a playful chuckle: "Of course, the biggest draw for me was that he bought me lots of presents."

Not to be left behind, Mr Shukla says: "And she was one of the few available girls in my class. So you see my options were very limited. I had no choice but to pursue her."

Mr Shukla, an engineering graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, received a full scholarship for the MBA programme at NUS which, he says, explains the presents he bought Ms Kumar, "since he had nothing else to spend on".

The two come from totally different backgrounds and in Indian families that often becomes an issue when matches are made.

But Mr Shukla, who is from Kota in Rajasthan, and Ms Kumar, a Mumbai girl, say they faced no such problems. "We wanted similar things in life, our goals were the same. We were so compatible. I guess it was evident to our families, who never had any objections once we made our intentions to marry known. Of course, it helped that Kapil is such a simple and genuine person," Ms Kumar says.

The couple say Singapore will always hold a special place in their hearts. For it was here where their love story blossomed and continues to grow each day. "Even after marriage and despite our busy work schedules, we find time to spend with each other. Do things we enjoy. Like travel, and cooking which Kapil enjoys while I watch. The easy commute to work ensures we get more time at home. Coming from a city like Mumbai, I know how difficult that can be where commuting to and from work can take a few hours," Ms Kumar says.

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