Sangram Singh and his lady love actress Payal Rohatgi have exchanged rings and are likely to wed towards the end of 2014 or early next year. The wrestler says people told him she isn't the "right soulmate" for him, but he is determined and happy to spend his life with Payal.
"Payal and I have been together for three years. We are sure about each other's feelings. The kind of simple conventional background that I come from doesn't allow me to be with a woman without giving her and the relationship the sanctity that they deserve," said the softspoken sportsman.
He was also worried about the concerns of Payal's family members.
On Thursday, the occasion of Mahashivratri, the couple had an engagement ceremony in Ahmedabad, where Payal's family stays.
"We exchanged rings at a temple in a simple ceremony and took our relationship to the next level. Only the immediate family members were present," Sangram said.
The wedding, says Sangram, is planned for winter.
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"It can be any time from November 2014 till January 2015. I'm only too happy to marry Payal. I am very lucky to have her in my life. People said she is not the right soulmate for me. But tell me, why do we look for Sita when none of us is Ram," he asked.
Payal and Sangram met on the sets of a reality show "Survivor India".
"We were completely different souls. But we hit it off immediately. Other contestants from affluent backgrounds were talking about Bentleys and Armanis. She spoke to me about her family.
"She took charge of me, taught me how to talk and dress among the so-called elite. Though she is very glamorous and urbanized, I found out about her family problems and that she was a bread-earner for her family. She touched my heart. And though many people warned me she wasn't the right woman for me (as I am sure a lot of people warned her against me), Payal seemed right for me."
Sangram says his family in Haryana has accepted his choice of a life partner.
"They say they are happy with whatever I am happy with."
The discernibly besotted Sangram confesses he finds Payal to be a very real person.
"I come from a very humble background. In Mumbai, where I've been living for the past three years, everything is so cosmetic. The walls are decaying. They have just been quoted with paint. In this atmosphere of artificial beauty, Payal is my connectivity with reality. She is the woman I want to spend my life with."