After weeks of speculation and amidst high drama she chose Toronto based Elesh Parujanwala as her life partner at her glittering swayamvar ceremony hosted by NDTV Imagine at the Hotel Leela Kempinski in Mumbai on Sunday, August 2, 2009.
True to the spirit and grandeur of a Swayamvar, the atmosphere around breathed an air of royalty from every aspect ranging from the ambience to the cuisine.
Rakhi looked stunning as a princess in a pink and gold Neeta Lulla creation embellished with kundan, zardosi and swarovski, while she adorned herself with invaluable jewellery set in gold with intricate kundan and ethnic Indian jadau designed especially for her by Farah Ali Khan.
Rakhi made her decision amidst the presence of hundreds of people ranging from close friends to the who's who of the television industry like Saroj Khan, Ravi Kissen, Apurva Agnihotri, Shilpa Sakhlani, Karan Patel, Sudha Shivpuri, Raju Shrivastav, Anjori Alagh
An ecstatic Rakhi said, "Elesh made an impact on me since day one of my Swayamvar. He came across as a genuine and caring person on and off camera.
He is everything that I look for in an ideal life partner and I am glad to have found him on the Swayamvar. Swayamvar means finding a Jeevansaathi and I have found Elesh.
Today is my engagement though I am ready to get married now, but we need to understand each other better, off camera. I thank God for helping me take this crucial decision in my life."Delighted Elesh said, "I am thrilled that Rakhi considered me worthy enough to be her life partner. I wish to honor her decision with a life-long commitment to her.
I hope to live up to her expectations and give her all the love and happiness that she truly deserves. We have decided to get engaged today, but before we take this further we both need time to know each other better off camera, and I want her to understand my family and lifestyle back in Toronto."
Said Sameer Nair, CEO NDTV Imagine Ltd, "We are really happy for Rakhi that she has found a life partner in Elesh. We are happy to have brought two wonderful people together through our unique Swayamvar. We wish Rakhi and Elesh all the very best for their future."
