She comes from a family of Professionals. He is the elder son of a leading business empire. She is quaint and like things simple. He loves being the centre of attraction and storm-up things wherever he is. So different yet so attuned in love that even when you talk to them independently, they appear to be one. Giving people around them major couple goals, the elder duo of the Kohli clan are the perfect example of true companionship. It was a pleasure interacting with Deepali Kohli, the Better Half of Rajeev Kohli and Director at Creative Travel who handles monetary matters as her primary responsibility.
Priyanka Saxena Ray
The economics of life had a major role to play in coming together of Rajeev and Deepali Kohli, who met at the Kirori Mal College, Delhi University, while pursuing Eco (Hons). Rajeev, with his gregarious nature, fell for this simplistic beauty with brains, who made him work hard for her ‘yes’. The ‘filmy’ love story, as Deepali calls it, did have all the ingredients necessary – the opposing parents, the horoscope glitch, tough father-in-law laying down the ‘stand on your own feet’ condition, the long distance (while being in the same country) love that was dotted with letters, coy calls and ‘besan ladoos’ made by the lady herself that reached Rajeev through fed-ex.
Love can make you do all kinds of things, and one of them for Deepali was to finish her Masters and Ph.D in three years flat (!) so she could start her life with the (impatient) man – and they got married in November 1994 to begin the beautiful journey of life together.
“I received a very warm welcome in the family. I was the daughter they never had. Since I was not into fashion much, my mother-in-law would shop for me and often even do my hair also,” she recollects with a smile. “Papa”, she continues, addressing Senior Mr. Kohli, “would never say no to anything I would ask. For him, I could do no wrong. I was extremely close to him.”
Pregnancy, an important landmark in any woman’s life, changed things for Deepali. “I was working as Senior Economist in National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) when my first baby came along and even though they gave all pregnancy perks and also introduced flexi-hours only for me, the second bundle of joy came early and I had to let go of the job because of health conditions and because two were quite a handful. However, staying home was a challenge and Papa recognised my frustration. He pushed me and my sister-in-law to revive Creative Overseas – an export vertical of the company, which was lying passive for some time – and we did! We started from a small room and learned and progressed along the way. In 10 years, we were able to find our own factory space.” However, in 2015 they had to close that wing down because both mothers needed to give time to their children who were passing through the crucial academic years. The lady, with her economic sense, was persuaded by the Kohli brothers to give the books at the company some serious time and this is how Deepali came to be involved full time at the Creative Travel.
Rohan and Rishab, she dotingly states, are like Rajeev and Rohit in their nature. They are mommy’s boys when they want something and call their dad when they are in trouble. Given that both were born in privileged circumstances and a family with ample means, Deepali says she never had to ‘discipline’ them in a strict way. They know that family is important. They have been taught to respect hard work. They are under no pressure (as of now) to join the legacy. “They have to finish their masters and be financially independent before they are ready to take any decision – regarding work or their love life,” says the mother.
As I sat there and chatted with her on a sunny afternoon, I realised there is an aura of peace around her, a streak of maturity and stability that not just comes with age and experience but is something that she is blessed with. She has the charm that won Rajeev’s heart 30 years back, her endearing nature got her extremely close to her in-laws, her strict yet soft approach has made her a humble mother, her artistic bent is visible in numerous nooks and corners of the new Creative Travel office and her stimulative intellect has kept the professional in her active and innovative… Having met her, I can confidently say now, Deepali is truly Rajeev’s ‘Better Half’…
