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AS Bahrain’s romantics set their hearts on celebrating St Valentine’s Day on Sunday, one Bahrain-based author’s fictionalised memoir about a couple’s struggle to date aims to prove that love truly conquers all.
Cultural taboos can often destroy relationships before they have even started and his familiar tale highlights the heartache when nationalities and religions clash.
The story unfolds in the novel 65 West 55th Street, written by Indian Gagan Suri which touches on how he and his Pakistani wife, Sarah, overcame all obstacles, setting them on the path to true happiness.
Gagan, 42, the CEO of Bahrain Bay and director- head of Real Estate MENA- Arcapita, who now lives in Barbar, said: “My novel has a simple message. We should learn to connect with others without bias and love beyond boundaries … all types of boundaries!
“That is the essence of all religions. The novel can be read at several different levels. Firstly, it is a love story of an Indian Hindu who meets a Pakistani Muslim, a story which makes you laugh, cry, learn to love and hopefully inspires you to follow your dreams.
“The second level is where you can learn to love beyond boundaries.
“The deepest level, however, is where you learn that we are all victims of gathering biases enforced by our families, friends, peers and social circles.
“The simple secret to my success was the fact that my wife and I believed in our love; we stuck by each other through some harsh times and were not willing to give up. Fighting to be with her was the best decision of my life. To date, I cannot imagine my life without her. I dedicate 65 West 55th Street to her.”
Gagan tells a tale about how the handsome fictional character Karan, an Indian Hindu, with high career aspirations, meets Zeina, a beautiful Pakistani Muslim fashion designer working in New York City. It was love at first sight for the pair but they both knew that it wouldn’t be easy due to their different ethnicities and religious backgrounds.
Despite all the obstacles in their way, they fought for their love, refusing to let the many differences and barriers keep them apart.
While the names had been changed, the emotions and events are all true, the couple say.
Gagan, born and raised in India, moved to the US to pursue a career in hospitality. After graduating with a Bachelors of Arts in hospitality from Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania, he worked at Hyatt Hotels in San Diego, Knoxville and Washington D.C.
It was during a visit to a friend in New York in 1998 that he met Sarah…well, technically, when he first heard her voice. Sarah, who graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York and was a freelance fashion designer, was actually calling to speak to his friend regarding modelling agencies when she overheard someone strumming the guitar and singing in the background.
The singer was none other than Gagan. The friend, who was suddenly interrupted and called away, passed the phone on to Gagan to speak to Sarah until he was free to resume the conversation. The two talked about ‘everything and anything’ and before they knew it they were hooked. The couple started conversing regularly over the phone for a month before finally deciding it was time to meet in person.
They arranged to meet after Sarah had dropped her mother off at the airport. Sarah’s best friend went with her but on the way back to her flat, stuck in traffic, she received a call from Gagan saying that he was waiting for her in the awning of her building on 65 West 55th Street.
So close and unable to wait any longer, Sarah jumped out of the vehicle and ran the rest of the way until she spotted him in a crisp white polo and khakis, standing there with a smile. It was love at first sight … although, Gagan had written Sarah a letter saying no hard feelings if neither of them found each other attractive and they would still remain friends.
On the contrary, their love blossomed.
When Gagan immigrated to Canada in 1999 to pursue a career change, Sarah supported him from the US.
Gagan graduated with a business administration Masters in finance at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and changed careers to investment banking. After years of struggle and standing strong, in 2002, the couple finally wed with the blessings of all their immediate family.
In 2004, their first son Zyan was born. Shortly after, they moved to New York where Gagan worked on Wall Street. A few years later, Aaryan was born in New Jersey. Since then Gagan has worked for prominent international investment banks in London and the Middle East and now lives happily with his family in Bahrain.
Gagan said: “Over the years, during my travels, I have met with people from all walks of life who were interested in my story. Many of them confide in me and narrate their own experiences of how they once loved someone, but could not get married – in most cases it was because religion, culture or nationality got in the way. They inspired me to share my story to help the world look beyond boundaries.”
Living the story is one thing and writing it was something-else altogether. According to Gagan, it turned into ‘an emotional roller coaster ride’.
He said: “It is not easy to revisit tough times and sad memories and recall them and write them in an interesting way. Imagine you lost a loved one in the past and have to think and write about it 100 times over – not easy! I rediscovered myself as a person when I wrote the novel. I rediscovered what I value in my life and how I want to live the rest of my life.
“Such a journey and accomplishment is only possible with the support of family and friends. Without that, going down such a path is unimaginable. I am very lucky to have incredible encouragement from all my friends and family.
“My wife is my best friend. She was instrumental in turning this novel into reality. It was very hard and painful for her as well to recall some events, but she not only helped me shape the novel but also was the key principal editor.”
It took two years to finish writing his story and the 222-page novel has now been published by iUniverse.
The story has been well-received by readers and has also attracted the interest of several Bollywood stars. Gagan said: “People have been very kind, the novel has sold well across the world and I have received excellent reviews. Almost everyone who reads the novel tells me that it ‘must’ be made into a movie.
“I gave a copy of the novel in person to actor Salman Khan. Sony pictures were close to making this into a movie /TV show, but I did not have time to pursue the project. I was just too busy with work at the time. As I see it, this novel is timeless and one day I do plan to make it into a movie.”
He is also planning on writing another novel which will either be a compilation of short stories which he gathered from travelling around the world or it will be a story based on the region.
He said: “The last seven years here have been an eye-opener. I believe most of the world has a negative and wrong impression of the Middle East and Islam. I would love to write a story which can help reverse that image.”
65 West 55th Street is available on Amazon and other online sites in e-format for $3 to $5, soft cover $10-$15 and hard cover $20-$25.
