Serendipitous Encounter: Nupur Gupta was teaching yoga at a retreat in Goa, India, when Attila Bosnyak, who was attending the retreat, saved her life, and a whirlwind romance began.
(CNN) -
Nupur Gupta was nearing the end of a two-week stint teaching at a yoga retreat in Goa, India.
It was February 2019 and the weather was mild, bathing Goa's famous beaches in a warm glow.
The sea shimmered, invitingly. Between one yoga practice and another, Gupta always took time to swim.
On that particular day, he floated farther than he used to.
When he realized the strength of the current, it was too late.
The water had begun to wash her away.
He tried not to panic.
"At some point I knew that if I kept swimming continuously and steadily, I could do it," he told CNN Travel today.
Every time Gupta tried to get back to shore, the current swept her away and she struggled to resurface, gasping for air.
"Then I saw a man approaching me."
advertising
It was Attila Bosnyak, a financial advisor in his forties from Hungary but a resident of the Netherlands.
Coincidentally, Bosnyak was a student at the Gupta yoga retreat, where, he says, he had been trying to "disconnect from the hustle and bustle of work and the Dutch winter."
Gupta did not teach Bosnyak's group of beginners, so they had never spoken directly.
Bosnyak was a strong swimmer, so he wasn't scared, but he had a hard time catching up with Gupta in the strong current.
"He came very close to me to take me by the hand and pull me out, but just then the ocean swept me away," says Gupta.
It was then that Bosnyak realized that although he could grab Gupta's hand, it was not strong enough to carry her back to shore alone.
Yoga teacher Nupur Gupta struggled while swimming.
Courtesy of Nupur Gupta / Attila Bosnyak
Looking around, trying to stay calm, he saw a group of nearby rocks blocking Gupta and Bosnyak from anyone on the shore.
Bosnyak thought that if he could get on one of them, he could wave to the ground and get the attention of a lifeguard, but there was a risk of being thrown onto a rock and injuring himself.
"So I tried to do it carefully," Bosnyak recalls.
"But I really couldn't, so two, three, four times I was basically pushed off the rock by the wave."
From Gupta's perspective, it seemed like his potential savior was drifting out of control.
"That's when I panicked," he says, remembering thinking, "What if the wave throws me onto the rock and I get a head injury or something?"
Finally, Bosnyak managed to climb to the top and stand up.
Waving and yelling, he caught the attention of the beach lifeguard, who immediately swam out.
The lifeguard helped Gupta back to the beach, while Bosnyak continued to swim.
It wasn't until Bosynak reached the shore that he realized he was bleeding.
"Especially my back and thighs, because of the scratches, and the fingers, because I had tried to hold onto the rock," he recalls.
"My heart sank when I saw him, because I immediately realized what this man did to help someone, he did it to help me," says Gupta.
As Bosynak collapsed into a lounger, exhausted, Gupta ran to the nearest store to buy a disinfectant and, on impulse, a chocolate ice cream.
Back on the beach, Gupta began tending to Bosnyak's wounds.
Then she handed him the ice cream and he smiled gratefully.
"Something changed, for me, in that moment," he remembers.
There was a click in my heart somewhere.
Bosnyak felt it too, even as he lay there, bleeding.
"I think it was a magical moment," he says.
Fate intervenes
Extended Vacation: After this experience, the two got together and decided to extend their stay in Goa after the yoga retreat was over.
Here they are together in Goa during that period.
Courtesy of Nupur Gupta / Attila Bosnyak
After checking that they were both okay, out of the scratches and scare, Bosnyak and Gupta made their way back to the yoga center together, talking as they walked.
Back at the tourist center, exhausted, they returned to their respective rooms to rest, but they met again later that day at dinner.
There they presented themselves correctly.
At first, the conversation centered on her unexpected life and death experience.
They talked about where they came from, what had brought them to Goa, and they quickly realized how well they got along, chatting until late at night and resuming the conversation the next day.
The yoga retreat was due to end the next day, Bosnyak planned to fly back to the Netherlands and Gupta would take the train back to Kerala, where he lived.
But Gupta was beginning to wish they had a little more time to get to know each other.
She wondered if they could put off their trips home and spend more time together in Goa.
"But saying it out loud or asking it out loud was also a bit ... you have inhibitions," he says now.
Luckily, Bosnyak agreed.
The two agreed to postpone their return for a week and instead spent Valentine's Day 2019 together, taking long walks on the beaches of Goa, kayaking and exploring the Portuguese churches in the region.
And when their extra week together came to an end, they celebrated Gupta's birthday.
The two extended their stay in Goa after the retreat so that they could enjoy exploring together and getting to know each other better.
Courtesy of Nupur Gupta / Attila Bosnyak
"That morning, I remember we had breakfast together and Attila took me to the station before he left," he recalls.
They were both excited about what had happened.
"It was a good feeling: to find someone with a connection and to put that big smile on your face, and that tickling, butterfly feeling," says Gupta.
The two promised to keep in touch.
"That's how they started a very beautiful couple of months, chatting, talking on WhatsApp, calling by video more and more," says Bosnyak.
Despite being separated by oceans, they soon knew each other's daily routines by heart, and talked every day.
A leap of faith
A month after leaving Goa, Bosnyak called Gupta.
"We should take a step forward in this connection," he told her.
"My heart was pounding and I immediately accepted without thinking twice, despite knowing that it is a huge distance, different cultures, continents, countries, cities," says Gupta.
They decided to officially embark on a long-distance relationship.
"I wanted to do it.
I wanted to live this experience.
I loved the vibe I had when I was around him and I was so happy, "recalls Gupta.
Looking for a destination midway between India and the Netherlands to meet up on vacation, they had started to seriously consider Dubai when external factors emerged.
Gupta's mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor and underwent emergency surgery.
"I knew I had to be there," Gupta recalls now.
He left Kerala and flew to his family's home in Lucknow, North India, to support his family.
"I spent the days talking about her health and looking for the right hospital and doctor together with my family, and I saw my mother very down and without health," recalls Gupta.
Flying to Dubai, or even leaving Lucknow, was impossible.
The connection continues: Plans to meet again in Dubai were thwarted when Gupta's mother fell ill.
Instead, Bosnyak flew to India to support Gupta.
Here they are together in Agra, India.
Courtesy of Nupur Gupta / Attila Bosnyak
One night a tearful Gupta phoned Bosnyak and explained that she would not be able to meet him anywhere for the next few months.
Bosnyak comforted her from a distance, and as they spoke, an idea occurred to her.
"How about I travel there, to be with you?" He suggested.
Gupta couldn't believe that this man she had seen in person only once was willing to do that for her, but she was instantly relieved to think that Bosnyak would be by her side.
He suggested that she come after her mother's operation.
The intervention was a success and, after a time of recovery in the hospital, Gupta's mother returned home.
Soon after, Bosnyak arrived at the Delhi airport, and Gupta met him on arrival.
On the way to Lucknow, the couple stopped in Agra to visit the Taj Mahal.
Contemplating the spectacular marble building, they shared a significant moment.
Bosnyak knelt down and made a proposal.
It was not a marriage proposal, but a promise to love each other and commit to making their relationship work.
Reunited in India, Bosnyak and Gupta shared a special moment in front of the Taj Mahal.
Courtesy of Nupur Gupta / Attila Bosnyak
Gupta's family was dying to meet the man who had saved her life and won her over.
"I've never seen them so excited to meet someone," says Gupta, laughing.
Bosnyak agreed right away.
"It was all so organic," says Gupta.
It was the perfect trip, the grand romantic gesture at the Taj Mahal complemented by quieter moments of Bosnyak supporting Gupta and bonding with his family.
Everything was so natural that the idea of Bosnyak leaving and the two of them parting again was difficult to digest.
A reunion in the Netherlands
The couple decided that once Gupta's mother was fully recovered, Gupta would apply for a visa allowing her to spend a month with Bosynak in the Netherlands.
But since legal complications posed a likely six-month delay, the couple decided to meet wherever they could: in Dubai, in the middle of summer, and then in Serbia.
"It's not a typical romantic destination, I guess," says Bosnyak, explaining that they chose the locations based on India's visa requirements.
“But we really enjoyed our stay there.
We were swimming in the Danube and Sava rivers and really exploring that city.
We rented an Airbnb, so we live as a couple.
It was a sample of the future life together they expected.
Their last meeting was in Thailand.
Not long after, in September 2019, Gupta received his visa from the Netherlands and flew to that country a month later, where he settled in the apartment where Bosnyak lived in The Hague.
It was an idyllic few months.
The couple traveled to Hungary together to visit Bosnyak's family, and they spent happy weekends exploring the Netherlands.
Study in the Netherlands analyzes infections at parties and concerts
Although the two were delighted to finally be together, for Gupta it was also a huge change that required acclimatizing to a different country and culture, as well as finding a job.
"It was a 360 degree turn for me," he says.
The cold Dutch winter meant quite an adjustment.
It was also strange, says Gupta, to be an Indian woman in the very white Dutch neighborhood of Bosnyak.
But before long she became friends with many of Bosnyak's friends and colleagues, and also connected with other Indian expats.
And he kept in close contact with friends and family back home through video calls.
As Bosnyak and Gupta spent more time together, their relationship deepened, and the idea of marriage, which had always been in the air, became the obvious next step.
For Gupta, the idea had been on his mind since Bosnyak saved his life in Goa.
But it was when he visited Lucknow after his mother's operation that Gupta felt that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with this man.
"I think by then I was secretly dreaming of marrying him," she says.
"It was very natural," says Bosnyak.
The couple say their friends, more used to dealing with the ups and downs of dating apps than saving a future couple from drowning, marveled at the romance of Bosnyak and Gupta's story.
However, some were skeptical whether the relationship would work out in the monotonous day-to-day reality.
Others wondered if cultural differences could break the connection.
"But as time passes, and we continue together, not just together, but we love each other, those logical doubts are answered," says Bosnyak.
The couple hoped to gather their friends and family from around the world for a grand wedding.
But these plans were put on hold because other events took over.
One year in confinement
Small ceremony: It was a modest ceremony at the Trouwlocatie Groenmarkt, the old town hall of The Hague.
Due to the pandemic, their families were unable to attend.
Courtesy of Nupur Gupta / Attila Bosnyak
Bosnyak and Gupta tied the knot on March 21, 2020 in a modest ceremony with just a couple of witnesses at Trouwlocatie Groenmarkt, the former city hall of The Hague.
The covid-19 pandemic had started to take its toll on the Netherlands, and they were the last couple to be married there before lockdown.
Which countries welcome international tourists again?
Bosnyak and Gupta went from counting the days until they could meet at a new destination to spending every day together in a small apartment.
"In a new relationship it is a lot, and that also taught us a lot," says Gupta, who says their first year of marriage seems much longer.
"It's the litmus test, I think, for a relationship," agrees Bosnyak.
«That you can live with that person for months and months and months without events around, without places to visit, without fun activities other than those you can invent within your department, or during your short walks in the next kilometer and a half, two kilometers in your neighborhood.
So if you can do it and keep your happiness, that relationship is rock solid. "
Looking for love in times of coronavirus
There were difficult times along the way, but the couple was happy to be together, to be there for each other, and to provide each other emotional support.
They have also known how to overcome their cultural differences.
"We are both quite patient with other cultures and other thoughts and other personalities, patient and empathic," says Bosnyak.
"It was fascinating to get to know someone from another country or culture so closely," says Gupta.
The two cooked for each other, entering their native cuisines and finding the middle ground when their tastes didn't match.
Although they inevitably had disagreements, they tried to be patient and pragmatic, and put themselves in each other's shoes.
Commitment and connection: Gupta and Bosynak have supported each other during the stress of the confinement and have consolidated their relationship over the last year.
Gupta, a dog lover, also convinced Bosnyak that they should have a puppy.
Their dog Sukhi Ram joined the home in May 2020.
Gupta struggled to find work during the pandemic.
She had registered her own yoga business in the Netherlands, but had to dedicate herself to teaching yoga online, especially to friends in her country.
Work changed due to the pandemic, some lost it and others work from home
When the EU eased covid travel restrictions in the summer of 2020, Bosnyak and Gupta seized the opportunity to travel to Greece.
The three-week trip was a kind of delayed honeymoon.
The couple explored beautiful destinations like Santorini and Mykonos, where they were some of the only tourists.
"We walked through the empty streets of Santorini, watching the sunsets and we also got up at 6:30 in the morning to see the sun rise," says Bosynak.
They also went to Hungary to see Bosnyak's family in August 2020, and they enjoyed exploring the castles and lakes of the Netherlands together.
Holding on to hope
Gupta and Bosnyak have a dog, Sukhi Ram, who gives them great joy.
Courtesy of Nupur Gupta / Attila Bosnyak
En otoño, Europa sufrió otra oleada de covid-19 y volvieron los largos días de encierro.
La pareja pasó la mayor parte de los meses de invierno en el interior, cuidando de Sukhi Ram y cuidándose mutuamente.
Hace aproximadamente un mes, cuando la primavera empezaba a florecer y la pandemia parecía remitir en los Países Bajos y en la India, Gupta tomó la decisión de viajar a su país de origen para ver a su familia y amigos, incluido su sobrino recién nacido.
Desgraciadamente, la llegada de Gupta coincidió con un aumento de los casos de covid en India, que se ha convertido en una segunda ola devastadora para el país.
- El mundo está en el peor momento de la crisis por covid-19. No tenía que ser así
Gupta se contagió del virus y actualmente está en recuperación, con Bosnyak apoyándola desde la distancia.
«Ahora mismo, la situación es tan abrumadora aquí», dice Gupta. «Veo a la gente luchando y solo espero que algo mejore».
Gupta y Bosnyak se centran actualmente en apoyar a sus familiares y amigos afectados por el desastre de la India, y en tratar de encontrar focos de alegría mediante la planificación del futuro y la reflexión sobre el pasado.
Esperan mudarse a Atenas, Grecia, el próximo verano, ya que Bosynak tiene una oferta de trabajo allí, por lo que están entusiasmados con esta nueva aventura. También están pensando en formar una familia.
Y reflexionar sobre cómo se conocieron, y la serie de coincidencias que los unió, nunca deja de ser un motivo para sonreír.
«Realmente parece una relación enviada por el cielo», dice Boysnak.
Hay muchos ingredientes que les han llevado hasta donde están hoy, explica. No es solo el hecho de que ambos estuvieran en Goa al mismo tiempo, o en el mismo retiro, o incluso que estuvieran unidos por lo que pasó en el mar. Era más profundo que eso.
«Porque podíamos ser personas completamente diferentes, teniendo algunos recuerdos de ese accidente, pero pasando nuestras vidas en diferentes lugares y diferentes culturas, y continuando como antes», dice.
En cuanto a Gupta, le hace gracia que a menudo cancelara citas con chicos que vivían a pocos kilómetros, pero acabara conociendo y casándose con alguien de otro continente.
«Había tanto optimismo, y todo encajaba de forma tan orgánica», dice. «Había mucha confianza y amor en todo momento, y creo que por eso estamos juntos hoy».
IndiaPaíses BajosRomance
