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A filmmaker from Pune, in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, proposed to his girlfriend using the crossword puzzle He Indian Express newspaper.
The man, who wished to remain anonymous, contacted the newspaper's crossword editor to place the message “Marry me” in last Thursday's crossword puzzle, with the clue “Words that sound good?”
He also requested the floor “Champagne”, in Hindi means Frangipani flower, which has significance for the couple.
“I wanted the proposal to have something that was part of our everyday life. I also wanted it to be something intimate, rather than in a public space. And since the IE crossword is something we have done together many times, it would be an unexpected surprise,” he told the newspaper.
The woman described being “in shock the whole time.”
The couple, who are in a long-distance relationship, regularly did the crossword puzzle together via WhatsApp, which gave the man the idea to incorporate it into his proposal.
Anant Goenka, the newspaper's executive editor, shared the story on social media and wrote: “The bride, a puzzle-loving historian, couldn't go a day without doing the Express crossword on her morning computer. TeaThe groom emails the Express Crossword Team asking for our help in including “marry me” in our mini crossword puzzle.
On the day of the proposal, July 4, the man recalled feeling anxious as his girlfriend struggled with some of the clues.
“When she clicked on 7-Across, the key clue, she didn’t find the answer, so she moved on. Meanwhile, I was still fiddling with the ring in my pocket. Seven minutes later, with more letters completed, Juhi finally had her eureka moment,” he said.
As soon as she said the words “Marry me” out loud, he pulled out the ring and proposed to her.
“The moment she said it, everything started moving really fast. I pulled the ring out of my pocket and got down on one knee. Of course she said yes!”
The crossword enthusiasts spent the next few minutes solving the rest of the puzzle together and called it one of their “slowest attempts” with a time of 12 minutes and 57 seconds.
The Internet reacted very happily to the sweet story, with several people praising the newspaper and the crossword publisher for taking up the idea and many joking that this would prompt them to start reading the paper and solving the crossword too.
“What a heartwarming story! I find love between the lines, literally!” said one user on X.
