Our Story

In August 2021, Reecha received a connection request on Fera, the online dating platform for the BAPS Swaminarayan community. At first, Reecha didn’t answer the connection - she hadn’t heard of Harsh and wanted to find a mutual friend who might be able to vouch for him. Conveniently, a mutual friend messaged Reecha and said Harsh was a likable guy who also lived in the area. Harsh had asked this friend about Reecha (but didn’t know she had vouched for him!). Happy with the recommendation, Reecha accepted the request.

On September 5, 2021, Harsh texted Reecha for the first time. Harsh shared that he recently moved into his new apartment and was starting his Master’s degree in Computer Science at the University of Maryland. In fact, he texted Reecha on the day he moved in! On Reecha’s end, she shared that she was working in Congress and had just started a new position in the Senate. Throughout their conversations, they connected on their new beginnings in D.C. and common interests. Many memes and gifs broke the ice, sprinkled with song recommendations and TV shows to watch.

After two weeks, Harsh made the first move and asked Reecha out for dinner. They decided to meet in D.C. and have dinner at Busboys and Poets. Two days before, Harsh had a COVID scare and got tested. The Friday night before the date, Harsh texted her “So I got some good news and bad news…” After leading her on, Harsh confirmed that he tested negative and their date was still on.

Reecha was already nervous for their first date, but it was made much, much worse when Harsh helped her find a parking spot and then watched her parallel park (she’s an expert now). The rest of the date was, thankfully, much smoother. They chatted over sandwiches and learned about each other’s families. They walked around Adams Morgan and ate ice cream at Jeni’s. Then, neither wanting to leave just yet, they walked around more until they found swings and a park. Reecha learned that Harsh was laid-back and good-humored. Harsh realized he enjoyed talking with Reecha and felt comfortable walking around with her for hours.

It wasn’t long before they both wanted to do a second, then third, date. Reesha met Harsh after the third date and thought that he was tall but nice. On October 31, 2021, Harsh asked Reecha to be his girlfriend officially (after a dragon onesie made an appearance - long story). After celebrating Diwali together, they decided they wanted to meet each other’s families… and the rest is history for this lucky couple!