When Sunday Brunch host Kamiya Jani walked into Shankar Mahadevan’s Vashi home this Ganesh Chaturthi, the setting felt more like a wholesome family gathering. The table was lined with banana leaves, the aroma of a vegetarian splash of dishes wafted through the air, and laughter filled the room as stories split out.
This Is How Shankar Mahadevan And His Wife’s Love Story Began!
After the first serving of food, came another flavour; the story of how Shankar and his wife, Sangeeta, first fell in love.
They weren’t introduced at a concert or through the music industry. In fact, they didn’t have to be introduced at all. The two grew up in the same neighbourhood, where their evenings were spent in the company of mutual friends, often with games and chatter running late into the night.
Somewhere between schoolbooks and street games, something changed. “By the time I was in Class 10, I had started liking her,” Shankar recalled with a confident and proud smile. It was innocent and wholesome. It zoomed in on the kind of teenage affection that tends to fade for most, but in their case, it only deepened.
Kamiya was visibly delighted by the tenderness of the story. The moment became even sweeter when their son joined in the conversation. With the kind of teasing only a child can get away with, he said that it feels like she (his mother) is still in 8th and he’s still in 11th standard. The line drew laughter all around, but it also struck a truth: decades later, their relationship still carries the sparkle of first love.
Love Shared Over Ganesh Chaturthi Special Meal
Once the nostalgia had settled, it was time to eat. The Mahadevans served up a traditional Ganpati spread, the kind you’d expect in Maharashtrian homes this time of year. The meal, laid out on banana leaves, was a parade of flavours. It was soft, ghee-rich puran polis, crunchy farsans and fragrant curries that tasted of home kitchens rather than restaurant menus.
What stood out in this episode was the warmth and intimacy embraced and enhanced over traditional food on banana leaves. The camera caught a family celebrating their festival, laughing over inside jokes, revisiting old love stories, and passing around ladles of dal.
By the end, as banana leaves lay empty and conversation slowed into contentment, the real takeaway wasn’t just about the food. It was about the threads that hold people together and tradition, memory, and love that still feel like they belong to two teenagers sharing stolen glances after school.
Cover Image Courtesy: Internal
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