Exclusive: When Madhuri had a miscarriage, I decided to go back to Delhi: Shark Tank’s Ashneer Grover on his early days, love marriage with Madhuri and more

There is nothing that can fluster Ashneer Grover as he gets candid about his journey in a conversation at the Times Litfest 2023 Delhi. Ashneer was invited as the guest speaker at the festival. He discussed his recently written memoir titled ‘Dogalapan’, published by Penguin India, with Suhel Seth.
Ashneer spoke about coming from a joint Punjabi family, living together and staying connected with the neighbourhood, and also about his love story with his wife Madhuri and her miscarriage. His personal journey has witnessed many ups and downs but Ashneer still manages to find silver linings in all his dark days. Excerpts from their conversation:

How were these early years of yours in Malviya Nagar?
Malviya nagar is a refugee colony my grandparents had come from Pakistan and they got a 200 gaj plot after the division between the sons. We all started building our homes one above another and that is how we all have been living in a house with different kitchens but all together. Back in the day, there was this concept of a colony. We knew everyone in the lane and it was a close-knit set-up. We had to earn for ourselves and grow as there was no backing. I have very fond memories of Malviya Nagar, I had almost changed 3-4 houses there and now just a few years back I got out of the vicinity.

How was this journey of love and marriage with Madhuri?

In my fourth year of Engineering, I decided to do CAT and I went to Kailash Nagar’s Career Launcher. The reason for it was that there were beautiful girls. There I met Madhuri and I was behind her begging for one lunch date. We had a common friend whom Madhuri said, “There is some Ashnoor guy” and that girl asked her to stay away from me. I was also adamant and her father came to know. Her dad felt betrayed and that too of a caste boy who isn’t that well off. So for two years, her father took her back to Panipat. That is when I shifted to Ahmedabad for IIM. I still remember her uncle used to call me Refugee. He didn’t even attend our wedding.

I used to come to Delhi one day early from Ahmedabad and stay with Madhuri at her PG. We always thought the PG aunty didn’t know about me but once when Madhuri went to meet her after I came, she told Madhuri, “he is the same guy right?” That shocked us that she knew it all along.

What made you decide to leave Mumbai and return to Delhi?

While I was working in Kotak, it was just Madhuri and me so we used to adjust the salary. Even when my parents used to come, they would leave in a day or two as they used to taunt me that my house is quite small. In the two years, we also started missing the family and if your roots aren’t from Mumbai, then it is really difficult to stay for long. Then, Madhuri had a miscarriage and she went back to Delhi. I went to my office and told them about it and they let me shift back too. After that I never came back, I only kept giving them reasons and one day there was a do-or-die moment where I decided to quit Kotak. So when Madhuri had the miscarriage, I decided to go back to Delhi and never return.

Times Lit Fest was held in Delhi on February 11-12 this year.