Sunita Ahuja says home feels empty before Diwali as children have grown up

Bollywood actor Govinda and his wife Sunita Ahuja have been in the news for the past few days. Even as talk goes around that all is not well in their 39-year marriage, Sunita made a statement ahead of Diwali that has drawn attention to her again.

In an interview, Sunita recalled old Diwali memories and spoke of what weighs on her mind. In earlier years the house used to be full of people at Diwali, with relatives and the children all there. Now the house no longer has the same bustle. Even when a festival comes, the house feels empty, she said.

Saying that the family too has changed a great deal with time, Sunita said that on festival days the house once had her mother-in-law, nephews and the children, and was full of energy and joy. Now the children have grown up and everyone is busy with their own work, so Diwali no longer has the same fun and bustle.

Speaking of her feelings, she said: "Earlier, when Diwali came, my house would be full of people. My mother-in-law would be here, and the nephews and the children. There was a lot of bustle. But now the children have grown up and my mother-in-law is no more. So the house feels deserted now."

"I cannot tell the children to stay at home. Everyone is busy with their own life. We cannot trouble anyone either," she also said. She went on: "Now I find my own happiness. I light lamps at home and eat sweets. I have diabetes, so I eat sweets only after thinking. But I still celebrate my Diwali happily." She did not mention Govinda in these remarks, which raised eyebrows further.

In the same interview, Sunita also recalled her first Diwali at her marital home. On the first Diwali after the wedding, her mother-in-law gave her a fine sari and a gold set. Govinda had also given her a Diwali gift. But Govinda has become a little "miserly" now, she said, laughing. "My mother-in-law had given me a very nice sari and a gold set. I took a gift from her, and I took one from Govinda too. Now Govinda has become a little miserly," she said.

"It has been many years since the wedding! Now he should give gifts. If you give a gift to the Lakshmi of the house, more Lakshmi comes into the house. So the Lakshmi of our house must be given a gift," she said playfully.

Govinda and Sunita married in secret on May 11, 1987. About two years after the wedding, on July 16, 1989, their daughter Tina Ahuja was born. Govinda then told the world about their marriage. Their son Yashvardhan Ahuja was born on March 1, 1997.

Sunita's remarks have set off talk about their relationship once again. Yet listening to her, one thing is clear: the feeling that a house seems empty once the children grow up is one every mother has.