Spicy Romance: A Love Story

Junior investment bankers often complain about how hard it is to fall in love and sustain a relationship, given the grueling nature of the job. Abhay Nayak WG’15 and Mrin Kamat WG’15, who met while working on the same deal team at Barclays in London, do not agree.

After spending many late nights crunching numbers together, Abhay finally had the courage to ask Mrin out on a date. A planner by nature, Abhay spent hours picking the perfect spot and decided on a Szechuan Chinese restaurant for dinner. The date, however, started off inauspiciously. The first dishes were spicier than the romance that the two were cooking up and Mrin refused to eat them. She wouldn’t stand for a bad first date and decided to abruptly go to another restaurant. The bold move paid off. Over Dim Sum filled with soulful conversation, seeds of love were planted.

Two dates later, the flowers of love had begun to blossom. “I knew after our third date that I was all in; I was going to marry this girl,” said Abhay.

There was no looking back. Dates turned into trips. Trips turned into adventures. Both travel junkies, Abhay and Mrin spent their rare free weekends on romantic getaways across Europe – Paris, Pisa, Ibiza, to name a few. When in Ibiza, the two planned to go to see Avicii perform (Abhay’s favorite artist), but were disappointed when they found out that tickets were sold out. Mrin came to the rescue, and managed to secure tickets using her resourcefulness and charm.

“She said she was going to go shopping and disappeared,” said Abhay. “After a while she came back and handed me an envelope…in it were Avicii tickets! Probably the best concert of both of our lives – just incredible.”

After close to three years of Investment Banking in London, Abhay and Mrin decided to apply to Wharton together to reflect on their future paths, to be closer to Abhay’s family, and to spend more time together outside of work.

“Wharton has been a two year vacation together,” said Mrin. These past two years have allowed them to travel to ten countries, take two classes together, and host friends for cocktail nights.

On Mrin’s birthday this past October, Abhay planned a seemingly innocuous weekend adventure to show Mrin around an autumnal Maine. On their first day, he whisked her away to Acadia National Park where during a walk around a lake, Abhay dragged Mrin into a desolate alcove through a forest and dropped down to one knee.

“My speech went horribly wrong. After uttering one or two words, I put the ring on her hand,” said Abhay. “It was the happiest moment of my life.”

Describing Abhay, Mrin said, “I love his sense of humor. He is always on top of everything, which makes things a lot easier especially when he helps me with homework (jokingly)! Also, he is very good at supporting losing sports teams.”

Conversely, Abhay said of Mrin that, “She always challenges me and keeps me on my toes! She is also incredibly quirky.”

Over Spring Break, Abhay and Mrin will begin their greatest adventure yet—getting married. They will descend into matrimony in style during a 3-day traditional Indian wedding in Goa surrounded by family, friends and lots of singing and dancing. A honeymoon gallivanting around the Greek islands will follow this summer before both make the move to NYC to work in consulting. Future adventures will undoubtedly be written.