'Needed careful planning': How a simple crossword puzzle became the perfect proposal for this Pune couple
A creative proposal turned a daily crossword into a romantic gesture as a Pune resident surprised his history-loving girlfriend with a clever "MARRY ME" clue. Their intimate moment ended with a joyful 'yes' and a completed puzzle.
From grand gestures like movie theater proposals to romantic hot air balloon rides and magical moments at Disneyland, we've seen it all when it comes to proposals. But recently, a unique proposal has captured our hearts and sparked joy for our inner-nerds: a man popped the question through a clever crossword puzzle!
Representational/ Unsplash
The 31-year-old man from Pune who recently pulled off a creative proposal did so with a nod to his girlfriend's deep love for history and puzzles.
His girlfriend, a dedicated history enthusiast, is a crossword aficionado who can't start her day without tackling the Indian Express crossword puzzle, as shared by the newspaper's Executive Director Anand Goenka on LinkedIn.
Keeping this in mind, the man, who prefers to remain anonymous, wanted his proposal to be intimate and part of their daily routine rather than a grand public affair. Since they had spent countless hours working on the Express crossword together, he found it the perfect canvas for his surprise.
"I came up with the idea while we were doing the crossword over WhatsApp," he explained. "After getting the ring made from sea glass we collected on a trip to Spain, a friend connected me with the Puzzle Editor at the Indian Express. With some careful planning, we set everything up for the evening of July 3."
Representational image/ Unsplash
When he shared his plan with the Express puzzle team, they were thrilled to help bring this romantic idea to life.
The crossword puzzle featured a special mini grid with the words "MARRY ME", cleverly clued as "Words with a nice ring to them?"
The morning after the proposal was set, the newspaper hadn't been delivered yet, and she was disappointed about missing her daily crossword with her tea. "I laughed and suggested, 'Why don't we try the IE Mini?'" he recalled. Little did she know, a special puzzle awaited her.
At first, she didn't catch on right away. Some of the clues were challenging, and while she slowly worked through them, he sat nervously, ring in his pocket. When she reached 7-Across with the clue "Words with a nice ring to them?", she couldn't immediately find the answer.
Credit: Indian Express
It wasn't until a few more letters filled in that she had her "eureka" moment and exclaimed, "Oh, marry me!"
That was his cue. With the ring ready and his heart racing, he dropped to one knee.
"Of course, she said yes!" he shared. "We couldn't stop giggling and managed to finish the crossword in 12 minutes and 57 seconds."
This personal gesture is a reminder that sometimes the simplest ideas can be the most touching.
Here's the full story as shared by Anant Goenka:
The very cute story of a 31-yr-old Pune reader who took The Indian Express's help to surprise his girlfriend with a marriage proposal. (Spoiler: she says "yes".)
¡ª Anant Goenka (@anantgoenka) July 11, 2024
1) The girlfriend, a puzzle-loving historian, could not go a day without doing the Express crossword with her morning¡
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