Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Starting over

Starting over

WHEN I really think about it, my story is a crazy one. I met my husband when I was going through a really difficult divorce.

I remember thinking I will never find someone who will appreciate me for who I am or the job I do.  I am proud to be the only Sikh working in my police forensic department. It’s not a challenge being a woman of colour working there, it’s an achievement as I have worked hard to get there.


I am proud that I removed myself from a toxic situation and filed for divorce. I walked away, knowing divorce did not define me. I refused to look at it as a negative because it really taught me so much about myself and mainly my self-worth. It enabled me to finally find the true meaning of love.

I met Chamandeep on April 20, 2015, at a Sikh Association event the Home Office was doing. I was there representing the police and he was there on behalf of the army. I remember looking across the room and him catching my eye, stuffing his face with a samosa. He loves food and that was apparent from my first sighting of him. So, he was real from the start.

Apart from his love of samosas, he showed me true love is out there. I found love when I didn’t think it was possible. I was just a lost soul and very broken. But I worked on myself first and realised everything I did was for myself. It’s so important to invest in that self-love. My last marriage left me feeling worthless in every aspect, so I had to start the rebuild and that was my first step.

I unexpectedly met Chaman at a time when I thought I’d never trust anyone again or for that matter marry again, but honestly, I am the happiest I’ve ever been. We became best friends first and pushed each other in our careers. We built our relationship on trust, loyalty and love, which was something I had not experienced fully or had in a relationship.

Our marriage is like two best friends enjoying a beautiful journey. My husband is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met and he has really pushed me in so many ways, where I feel myself and at peace. But we also are a team. We are understanding when it comes to careers. We can’t be together 24/7, but it works. It makes us appreciate our time and the art of living in the present. There is nothing like it.

It’s like two jagged edged puzzle pieces trying to click into place. Sometimes it looks like you do not fit together at all, as myself and my husband are the total opposite of each other, but it really does work and the pieces fit perfectly. When the right person comes along you will find a middle ground, complement one other, and teach each other things along the way. I promise it’s worth it. I have beautiful new parts that have grown within me and parts of me I am yet to meet.

More For You

starmer-bangladesh-migration
Sir Keir Starmer
Getty Images

Comment: Can Starmer turn Windrush promises into policy?

Anniversaries can catalyse action. The government appointed the first Windrush Commissioner last week, shortly before Windrush Day, this year marking the 77th anniversary of the ship’s arrival in Britain.

The Windrush generation came to Britain believing what the law said – that they were British subjects, with equal rights in the mother country. But they were to discover a different reality – not just in the 1950s, but in this century too. It is five years since Wendy Williams proposed this external oversight in her review of the lessons of the Windrush scandal. The delay has damaged confidence in the compensation scheme. Williams’ proposal had been for a broader Migrants Commissioner role, since the change needed in Home Office culture went beyond the treatment of the Windrush generation itself.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh

Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh’s ‘Sapphire’ collaboration misses the mark

The song everyone is talking about this month is Sapphire – Ed Sheeran’s collaboration with Arijit Singh. But instead of a true duet, Arijit takes more of a backing role to the British pop superstar, which is a shame, considering he is the most followed artist on Spotify. The Indian superstar deserved a stronger presence on the otherwise catchy track. On the positive side, Sapphire may inspire more international artists to incorporate Indian elements into their music. But going forward, any major Indian names involved in global collaborations should insist on equal billing, rather than letting western stars ride on their popularity.

Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh

Keep ReadingShow less
If ayatollahs fall, who will run Teheran next?

Portraits of Iranian military generals and nuclear scientists, killed in Israel’s last Friday (13) attack, are seen above a road, as heavy smoke rises from an oil refinery in southern Teheran hit in an overnight Israeli strike last Sunday (15)

If ayatollahs fall, who will run Teheran next?

THERE is one question to which none of us has the answer: if the ayatollahs are toppled, who will take over in Teheran?

I am surprised that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, has lasted as long as he has. He is 86, and would achieve immortality as a “martyr” in the eyes of regime supporters if the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, succeeded in assassinating him. This was apparently Netanyahu’s plan, though he was apparently dissuaded by US president Donald Trump from going ahead with the killing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Comment: Talking about race isn’t racist – ignoring it helped grooming gangs thrive

A woman poses with a sign as members of the public queue to enter a council meeting during a protest calling for justice for victims of sexual abuse and grooming gangs, outside the council offices at City Centre on January 20, 2025 in Oldham, England

Getty Images

Comment: Talking about race isn’t racist – ignoring it helped grooming gangs thrive

WAS a national inquiry needed into so-called grooming gangs? Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer did not think so in January, but now accepts Dame Louise Casey’s recommendation to commission one.

The previous Conservative government – having held a seven-year national inquiry into child sexual abuse – started loudly championing a new national inquiry once it lost the power to call one. Casey explains why she changed her mind too after her four-month, rapid audit into actions taken and missed on group-based exploitation and abuse. A headline Casey theme is the ‘shying away’ from race.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

Shraddha Jain

Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

FUNNY UK TOUR

The tidal wave of top Indian stand-up stars touring the UK continues with upcoming shows by Shraddha Jain this July. The hugely popular comedian – who has over a million Instagram followers – will perform her family-friendly show Aiyyo So Mini Things at The Pavilion, Reading (4), the Ondaatje Theatre, London (5), and The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham (6). The 90-minute set promises an entertaining take on the mundane and uproarious aspects of everyday life.

Keep ReadingShow less