Mumbai, Dec 11 (TIWN): The announcement of our engagement on October 2, 1966, reverberated with sensational and joyous tidings all over the country. It was an indescribable experience.

The media was splashing the news all over and the radio stations kept on announcing the event every couple of hours. There was an air of great festivity in Bombay (and probably elsewhere as well) as all available loudspeakers belted out our favourite film songs!

The news of our forthcoming marriage came as a surprise to all those who had thought I was an unrelenting, highly eligible bachelor who would never settle down. My fans and also my friends, such as Satish Bhalla, Raj Kapoor, producer Ved Puri, Hiten Choudhary, Pran and Balraj Kohli, were agog with 'how did this happen'? Saira's career was just five years old; we had never worked together and were never linked romantically. Consequently, there literally was a storm in the minds of people, who were eager to see us together and have a glimpse of us together.