Ragini Bahl Weds Veeral Gajjar
The bride Ragini Bahl and groom Veral Gajjar with their parents Saroj and Vishwa Bahl on the right and Harshad and Parmila Gajjar on the left.
By Jawahar Malhotra
SUGAR LAND: Most wedding receptions usually feature a slideshow collage of the highpoints in the lives of the newlyweds, from shots of them as tiny tots and racing up through the years till they meet and start dating and spending time together. This couple decided to turn the formula on its head by adding a humorous twist to their first date and how they became inseparable.
According to the bride’s mom, the short video clip shown at the reception in Sugar Land was pretty much on the mark, with a few creative embellishments. The bride, Ragini, is shown rejecting suitors and the nagging voice of her father’s Punjabi protestations of missing the opportune time to settle down. The groom, Veeral prefers workouts to taking time to find a girl of his mother’s choosing, rejecting Gujarati girls while ogling others on his way to the gym. Till one day, succumbing to pressure, they meet on shaadi.com and go out on their first date. Needless to say, the two are captivated to each other and date for two years.
Ragini and Veeral finally decided to tie the knot at an elaborate ceremony at a venue of their choice, the San Diego Air & Space Museum for the sangeet and the Hilton San Diego Bayfront for the wedding and follow-up reception, since they both live in Los Angeles. The wedding took place on November 1, 2014 and several weeks later, on January 17, 2015, the bride, who was born and raised in Houston, and her parents, threw a reception for over 400 family’s friends and relatives at the Sweetwater Country Club, where a video collage was shown of the wedding and festivities.
Ragini Bahl, 34, is the daughter of Vishwa and Saroj Bahl, well-known in Houston among Punjabi and Hindu circles due to their activism in both. Ragini received her Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Texas, Austin and moved in 2007 to Los Angeles where she works as an executive marketing director for Nielson’s, the global information and measurement company dealing with understanding consumer behavior. Her father Vishwa, is a civil engineer and co-owner of the consulting firm Ratnala & Bahl Engineers. Her mother Saroj has a PhD in nutrition and Is a professor at the University of Texas Houston School of Dentistry. In addition, Saroj has been the past president of the Punjabi Culture Club. Ragini’s older brother Rahuk owns and operates two hotels in Austin and Clear Lake.
Veeraj Gajjar, also 34, is a physician who received his medical degree in California and works in the department of medical affairs at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. His father Harshad is a pharmacist in Los Angeles and his mother Parmila is a homemaker. Veeral’s sister, Payel is married, also into a Punjabi family – the Tandons – of the vintage Tandon Magnetic Corp. PC and hard drive manufacturer’s fame.
The newlyweds have been too busy with work to go on a honeymoon right now. They are also pre-occupied with filming of their entire Indian courtship, Hindu wedding and receptions by the FYI TV channel which is producing a documentary on them, in addition to a Gypsy and Baptist couple, exploring comparative cultural and religious issues between the three. The documentary will be aired sometime in March on the FYI channel, which is part of the A+E Network.