Musician Raghu Dixit laughs and says he can go on and on in his wife, Grammy-nominated singer and flautist Varijashree Venugopal’s praise, when I ask him about her. It’ll be one year this October since he married her, and the love between them only seems to have gotten stronger. Talking to Hindustan Times, he discusses what makes their marriage tick and the chatter surrounding the 16-year age gap between them.
Raghu Dixit reveals what he loves about Varijashree Venugopal
Raghu and Varijashree married last October, and the musician remarks that married life has been surprisingly simple. “We laugh a lot, we make music, we travel, and we give each other space to be ourselves. That’s something I value enormously,” he says, adding, “We understand each other’s lives because we both live and breathe music, but our relationship isn’t only about music. We encourage each other to grow as people.”
Raghu also can’t stop gushing as he talks about his wife, “She’s an extraordinary musician, of course. But more importantly, she’s an exemplary human being. I can go on and on and on in her praise (laughs).”
The age gap that sparked off chatter in a happy moment
Raghu was 50, and Varijashree was 34 when they married. They were friends since 2021 before they decided to get hitched. But more than anything, their age gap was what sparked conversation. “To be honest, we knew people would always have opinions, especially when you’re in the public eye. And to be honest again, it did hurt,” admits Raghu, adding, “But then you know there’s a little trick to a good, happy life – don’t take the internet too seriously. (laughs)”
The musician says that it helped that they were surrounded by love in the moment. “The people who matter were with us to celebrate. Real fans sent their love and blessings. What else could we ask for? Beyond that, honestly, we’ve never felt the need to explain ourselves,” he adds.
Raghu also says that getting married to Varijashree felt so natural; the criticism around them faded away. “You know, love is a peculiar thing. It sees beauty unseeable…it just happened. We were friends for a long, long time before we chose to get married. And when we did, it just felt so natural. If your decisions are based on love, mutual respect and trust, then outside noise becomes frankly quite irrelevant.”
“I now look forward to building my life with Vari. It’s perhaps one of the most satisfying journeys in my life,” he rounds off.