Meet Safa, Yazar & Amyra from Southern India

Meet Safa (wife), Yazar (husband) and Amyra (daughter) from Southern India Today is Safa’s 24th birthday! She said, “My husband is so incredibly thoughtful. He’s always making sure that I am taken care of spiritually and emotionally. I wasn’t going to do anything for my birthday. He surprised me with an adventure today.” Safa was born and raised in Tamil Nadu, Chennai until she was 7 years old, then her family immigrated to the United States. The city is known as the “Land of Temples” and as the gateway to Southern India. Tamil Nadu is home to over 390,000 Hindu temples; some of which date back to over an estimated 2,000 years ago. The city and culture is not only drenched in history and art but also embraces modern advancements and a contemporary urban lifestyle. Safa said, “Other than family, the one thing that I missed about our home in India, was the coconuts. It seems so incredibly simple but the people there climb the trees and pick beautiful ripe coconuts, and cut the tops open to drink fresh coconut water.” The couple has been married for 4 years. In keeping with tradition, their marriage was an arranged marriage. Safa explained, “I think that it is a common misconception that we are forced to be together. In our culture, arranged marriages are a part of our tradition. What it means is that our families had the opportunity to help choose our life partners. We were given the opportunity to meet each other, to get to know each other, and consent prior to becoming engaged. Also, in our culture, women are not forced to wear a hijab. It is a personal choice. Some women are still practicing our faith but choose not to wear their hijab. Sometimes they only wear it during prayer. There is never any judgment about the wearing of our traditional garments. When my husband and I decided to marry, we moved back home to India so that we could be close to family. Our marriage was during the height of the pandemic. After the pandemic, we returned to the United States. Yazar said, “My favorite thing about my wife is that she is my everything. She is my guardian angel.” Safa said, “My favorite thing about my husband is that he is incredibly emotionally, intelligent. He doesn’t wait for me to tell him that I need something. He looks ahead to identify what may be needed and how he can fill the need. He is always protecting me emotionally and spiritually.” The one thing a couple wants to tell the world is, “Whatever problems that you may be facing, take a step back and look at them from a bigger perspective. When something is so intensely close in front of you, it can be impossible to not to find faults. Look at it from an eagle’s view. For instance, Suni Williams, the astronaut who just recently came home from space, said that when she looked at the world, she did not see the separation of countries. What she saw was one world.” Happiest of Birthdays, Safa! May this year be your best year yet! Thank you for visiting!