The Vice-Captain of IPL team Chennai Super Kings, off-spin bowler and fielder Suresh Raina has always credited his wife, Priyanka Chaudhary Raina for the boundless support she has given him. Suresh and Priyanka are childhood friends but were hardly in touch after Priyanka’s family shifted base to Punjab. In fact, his mother arranged the whole thing with Priyanka’s family, and the couple got married in 2015. (Also Read: The Wedding Story Of Indian Cricketer Suresh Raina And Priyanka Chaudhary)
Priyanka turned 32 on June 18, 2018, and the doting husband, Suresh shared a birthday wish for her, on his Twitter handle, which is surely winning the hearts. Suresh tweeted, “More than a wife, in you I have found a friend for life. A wonderful Mom, A loving wife, Above all, a fantastic human being Here's wishing you a birthday as perfect as you, @_PriyankaCRaina. Keep up the great work you are doing with GRF. Loads of love”
After this amazing wish, Suresh Raina gave a pleasant surprise to his wife on her birthday. Expressing her love for him for making her special day even more special, Priyanka shared on her Instagram, “This morning I woke up to beautiful flowers and this delicious pie which my loving husband picked up from the nearly bakery and what was even more special that he went cycling in the rain to buy it really fresh early in the morning! Though he forgot to buy the candles but that’s just a very small detail on the table. You made my day and all the days ahead in our lives my love @sureshraina3 Love you beyond any limits!” (Recommended Read: MS Dhoni Shakes His Leg On 'Desi Boyz' Song, Wife Sakshi Bursts Into Laughter)
Speaking about his life and wife, Priyanka, Suresh was quoted as saying in an interview, “As a cricketer, if you make a comeback, it means you’re on the right path. And your loved ones always support you [on this journey]. Priyanka was motivating me all the time. She’s my moral support; more than wife, she’s my friend.” He further added, “When someone knows you better than you, then you can always get the right advice. On top of that, you stay with the person for 24 hours a day. So, you can learn, engage and understand the person in [every] situation.”
Suresh and Priyanka welcomed their little bundle of joy, a baby girl on May 15, 2016, and they named her Gracia Raina. Suresh also got his daughter’s name tattooed on his left forearm. Speaking about his close-knit family of three, Suresh stated, “Both of us, we travel a lot, and we know what each one of us wants. And both of us know what Gracia wants. When my daughter comes around and calls me ‘Papa’, it means the world to me. Touch wood, God has been really kind. I hardly spent time with my [parents]. I was very young when I went to boarding school. So I don’t want to miss out on anything with my wife and daughter. I want to give them back, spend time with them, do what my wife likes. We need to enjoy life, because don’t know what happens tomorrow.” (Also Read: From Singing To Making Gol Roti, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Most Adorable Moments With Daughter Ziva)
Priyanka shared in an interview how Raina is as a father, “They both share a very fun relationship (laughs). He’s so much in love with Gracia and she waits for him to come back home. Because she knows there’s someone with whom she can play and be naughty with (laughs). Once she went to the team’s dressing room at the stadium and he was very proud of that. Now, as Gracia has grown up a bit, she recognises him on TV and can cheer for him. So, it’s a very happy and emotional time for us.”
For the uninitiated ones, Priyanka is not only handling her personal life perfectly but on the professional front too, she is making wonders. Priyanka is the founder and director at Gracia Raina Foundation (GRF) which aims to create an ecosystem for women to make them stand for themselves and help them in any way possible. She is also associated with many NGOs to promote the need for girls' rights, their education and gender equality.
Priyanka also collaborated with Red FM and is doing a show called, The Priyanka Raina Show. The topics of discussion on the show include domestic violence, acid attack, girl child education, sexual harassment, gender biased and equality, menstrual hygiene, women of courage, taboos related women (single mom, widow remarriage). About the same, she explained in an interview, “Discussing on such topics is mandatory because people should know what is happening in the society and they should not walk away. We will also have social activist to share their experience.” (Also Read: Ziva Dhoni, Gracia Raina And Hinaya Heer Plaha 'Fall Down' To Ringa-Ringa-Roses; Video Inside)
Priyanka went on to say, “The objective is to bring more awareness. The listeners should be aware that the daughters and women need to be more secure and taken care. They need to be more open-minded when it comes to women – we are existing in the society. The show isn’t just targeting women, through the topics are women-centric. “The target audience is everybody – woman, men and children. Everyone should be aware. I feel along with men, a lot of women to women mindsets too need to change.” (Recommended Read: When India's Cool Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni Was Bowled Over By Sakshi Rawat)
When asked how she manages her work-life balance, Priyanka asserted in an interview, "Gracia is an energetic little bundle and needs a lot of attention and I also take out time for myself to go to the gym or workout. The foundation takes a lot of my time as well. Being a woman entrepreneur is difficult because we have more responsibilities than men, but women are great multi-taskers."
We truly admire what Priyanka Chaudhary Raina is doing, and we wish her all the best for her upcoming endeavours.