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'My husband has loved and supported me' Natalia Raut, 43 Russian Married to V Raut, Air-India engineer I was studying construction engineering in 1977 when I first met my husband. I was very young, just 18 years old, when we got married in 1978. I came to India in 1981. I didn't know anything about India at the time, but coming here wasn't difficult for me. My father had died when I was very young and I had lived in a hostel all my life so I was used to being alone. When I told my mother, she said I could marry who I wanted to, but I shouldn't come back crying to her.
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In India, I lived for a year with my in-laws in a village near Amravati. I did not know any Hindi then and my husband was posted in Hardwar. I did not know how to cook vegetarian food on dung cakes or how to do the puja. My in-laws were orthodox, but though they asked me to join them a few times, they did not force me.
I am a Protestant Christian but I am not very religious because I grew up at a time when churches and going to churches was banned. I grew up with the rule: If you work, you'll get food; if you steal, you'll go to jail.
My husband has loved and supported me. He has given me the freedom to do what I want [Natalia is an aerobic instructor]. I like India. I speak Hindi fluently. My family is here. That is what I like best about India -- the family life. There are fewer divorces here and people consider each other's feelings. |
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