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Romancing The Song: Sonali & Roop Kumar Rathod
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you,
then they fight you, then you win."
- Mahatma Gandhi
This is a fate true of Roop Kumar Rathod and Sonali. When the much-married Sonali, decided to leave everything behind to walk the aisle with Roop Kumar, the world looked askance. But it is not said for nothing that 'marriages are made in heaven'. A peek into Roop Kumar and Sonali Rathod's lives makes the saying more palpable than ever.
Their affair caused turbulence in their lives, the ripples of which were felt amongst family and social circles, media and the masses in the mid-80s. People gave Roop and Sonali's relationship six months to survive - a few generous ones gave them a year. Both these were proved wrong and how!
For Roop and Sonali it was a sordid beginning to a fair and destined journey, overshadowed by the dark tentacles of social taboos. They took the battle head on, with courage and faith, and eventually emerged victorious.
This is their inspiring story as revealed to Shaadi Times.
Bond of music
It wasn't love at first sight for the couple, but you could say that it was love at the first (musical) note. They fell in love with each other's talents before being attracted to anything else. Reminiscing the first meeting, Roop says, "We met in 1980 for the first time. I was playing the tabla at the CCI Club (in Mumbai) and she was in the audience. She would attend my concerts regularly. After that we would meet quite often at musical concerts. But our interaction was restricted to music. It was sometime in 1984 that we got into a personal relationship."
Roop was taken in by Sonali's love for music. He says, "Often performing artistes like us wish to go away from music when we are not performing, but Sonali's love for music has been endless. She would listen to many artistes. Music was everything for her in life. This amazed me a lot. She is a passionate follower of music," he voices.
Going against tide
Their affair started out of a common passion, but soon Cupid struck and they were to discover a soul mate in each other. "It all started when we became 'musical' companions, in that we would go to concerts together. I cannot tell exactly when Cupid struck, but it was surely during that phase. Slowly we realised that we were in love," says Sonali.
"One day she heard me singing and asked me to pursue singing as a profession," says Roop Kumar. "My father was a renowned classical singer and I had grown up listening to him, but my priority was set on tabla since childhood. Tabla was my first love. But Sonali insisted that I start singing professionally; she felt I could make it in this field. My first reaction was 'kyun is garib ke pet par laat maar rahe ho. (Why do you want to deprive poor me of my livelihood). I was doing well as a tabla player and didn't harbour high hopes about a future in singing. But her faith was as solid as a rock."
Roop Kumar encouraged Sonali to sing along with him, though she was dealing with a throat problem, which almost made her lose her voice. His faith would bring Sonali back to singing and they would perform together. "It is during this period that we started having this strange feeling towards each other and we knew that we were in love," says Roop.
No turning back
Falling in love and living happily ever after was something they had seen only in movies - their own story was full of pathos.
Roop Kumar reveals, "My father was a good friend of hers. The opposition began in our families and we had to part for a few months. I agreed to move out of her life and decided to leave the city. But after a few months, we realised that our relationship did not develop out of physical proximity. Though we were apart, we loved each other intensely. The final hour of decision-making came when Sonali's husband was to go to Canada for a show. I asked her to go with him. I told her if she found a new life there in a month or two, then I would leave the city for good. All I wanted was that she be happy. But if she thought that she couldn't live without me then she should call me from the airport. But after that there should be no turning back."
Both maintain that it was not an impulsive decision.
Through thick and thin
Difficulties came in torrents. People who earlier ignored them or laughed them off began to take stronger stand and actions. Roop Kumar describes the time. "Family members, press, music companies, organisers - everyone - turned against us. No aspect of life remained free from difficulties and opposition." Sonali can't forget one such incident. "One leading film gossip magazine called me and asked me to speak about the entire issue. I refused to talk as it was a personal matter. They warned me that if I didn't speak they would print my ex-husband's story, which would go against me. I asked them to do whatever they liked and not bother me again."
Their professional colleagues were not supportive either. Sonali says, "Our producers, music companies and show organisers - all - refused to manage our shows or produce our albums. It seemed like the entire world was against us."
To add to the woes, with the switch from tabla to singing, Roop faced a financial crunch and went through a professional low. However, faith kept their relationship going. He says, "She had the faith that I was the complete man for her, and I was sure that the day I hold her hand I would fight the world. And we are happily married for 15 years now!"
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