An ode to childhood romances that last: With Love by Simran Mangharam

To me, such couples are the stuff of fairytales. But, as they point out, there is no magic wand. These bonds take a unique kind of hard work.

In 2006, I met a couple in their late 30s whose love story turned out to be my favourite kind: a childhood romance that has stood the test of time.

The husband, Rizvan, takes great pride in telling the story of how he and Shayla met. Both sets of parents worked in the Armed Forces. Both youngsters changed schools often.

They ended up in the same school in Class 8. On the first day of that school year, he says,