Our bond was forged with a tryst on Shaadi.com in Nov 2009, when Sharath sent out a holler and Harini replied a week later on Facebook! Being avid writers, we connected easily by writing long emails, shorter quips, and then the frequent one-liner wall posts and texts. Our common love for statistics, cooking, and writing contrasted with our backgrounds as a Konkani engineer and Tamilian doctor, his self-imposed allergy and her addiction to yogurt, and his dominant attraction to non-fiction and economics and her passion for fiction and poetry.

Separated by 2,846 miles (around 4580 km) between Baltimore and Sunnyvale, we bridged the distance and differences by frequent road-trips and holidays, long phone conversations, and that wonderful technology called the webcam. Harini's goofiness and Sharath's wit have showered us and our loved ones with dollops of laughter and Family Guy (Sharath's favorite TV show) supplies the rest!

A whirlwind tour to meet cousins and friends in the New York-to-Washington D.C. corridor culminated in a surprise proposal and engagement on July 4, 2010 - in a true history-buff geeky style in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum, Washington DC! A couple of months later, as it happens in happy love stories, Harini managed a one-way flight to California and Sharath booked two tickets for us to 'meet the parents'.

Playing muse to Sharath's photography pursuit, or listening patiently to Harini's non-stop dramatic commentary, we have managed to play perfect foil to each other thus far, and look forward to perfecting it as 'The Sharathys'. As we join together in life, in the pursuit of happiness and liberty in the togetherness, we created this website to share our story, our happiness and our celebrations with you - our loved ones.

Please consider this an earnest invitation for you to attend the Dinner and Reception in celebration of our wedding on Dec 20, 2010 in Manipal or Dec 28, 2010 in Mumbai. Your presence will be cherished as we poise (and pose) ourselves for the adventure and journey ahead.

Along with this invitation, we extend a humble request. Your presence is the greatest gift we will receive. However, if you feel compelled otherwise, we encourage you to contribute monetarily towards our decision to support the education of financially underprivileged children in rural areas in Tamil Nadu and coastal Karnataka. You may contribute any amount in cash or as a cheque issued to Harini Sarathy or Sharath Rao Karikurve. We commit to putting together a report of this effort and informing all our guests by email by May 31, 2011 - around the time of school and college admissions.

We look forward to a memorable evening with you this December. For our friends and family who cannot attend, we know you will be with us in spirit.

- Harini & Sharath