Prateek Tanmay
4 min readNew DelhiJul 29, 2026 10:00 PM IST
Rajeev Khandelwal recently described himself amusingly as a “slave” to his wife Manjiri Kamtikar, whom he married in 2011. Responding to a contestant’s question on his game show Tum Ho Naa – Ghar Ki Superstar about whether he fears his wife, he expressed, “I’m not scared of Manjiri in the sense that I live in fear. I love her. And when you love someone, you also have a certain fear of them.”
DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to.
“In short, you’re asking how I practise ‘slavery’ in love. My ‘slavery’ begins with making her a cup of tea. If she’s at home, I make breakfast for her. She decides what we’re going to have for lunch. Then comes the evening tea. She loves tea, especially the one I make, so I prepare that for her too. After that, she’ll be sitting on the bed and say, ‘Go get this for me… I’m craving some makhanas. Can’t you tell what time it is? Around 5:30 or 6:00, wherever we are together, this is what has to happen. You know it’s my snacking time,” he shared in Hindi.
Rajeev then went on to share how small acts of care become a part of married life, so much so that one gets into a routine.
Taking a cue from his heartwarming confession, we asked Delnna Rrajesh, psychotherapist and relationship breakthrough coach, who said that while he was referring to something as simple as making her tea, “his words opened up a much bigger conversation about love, partnership and what truly sustains a relationship”.
“While the word ‘slave’ may have been used affectionately, healthy relationships are never built on slavery, but on willingness. Love is not about losing yourself for another person. It is about willingly showing up for the person you have chosen,” reflected Delnna.
Making a cup of tea is never just about the tea. “It says, ‘I noticed you’re tired’”. Folding the laundry is not about the clothes. “It says, ‘Let me lighten your load’.” The action may be small, but the emotional message is enormous, said Delnna.
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Everyone has a different definition of love (Photo: Freepik)
One of the biggest myths in modern relationships is that equality means both partners must contribute exactly 50-50 at all times. “In reality, the healthiest relationships are built not just on equality, but on equity,” Delnna noted.
Equality says we both do the same but equity says we both do what the relationship needs.
“Life is never equally balanced. There will be seasons when one partner is physically exhausted, emotionally overwhelmed, building a career, recovering from illness, caring for ageing parents or navigating a personal crisis. During those seasons, expecting a rigid 50-50 contribution is not fairness. It is inflexibility,” said Delnna.
Healthy couples understand that relationships move through seasons. Sometimes one partner carries 80 while the other can only manage 20. “At another stage of life, the roles naturally reverse. Neither partner keeps score because both understand they are not competing with each other. They are investing in the same relationship.”
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Feeling genuinely cared for creates emotional safety. “It calms the nervous system, reduces stress and builds trust. Over time, these seemingly ordinary gestures communicate something every human being craves,” said Delnna.
