A true story of love lost & found in WWII

Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, (IANS): "Raj & Norah" is not only a thrilling account of love found, lost and reclaimed in the midst of World War II, it is also a story of two extraordinary individuals battling against their circumstances and what fate has in store for them.

When World War II broke out in 1939, twenty-year-old Rajendra Kohli was studying chemistry at college in England. Soon, however, he decided to volunteer for the war effort against Germany and joined the army. After his heroic actions on the front left him severely injured, he found himself in Naples for treatment. There, he met Norah Elizabeth Eggleton, a nurse with Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service.

It was love at first sight, and in each other's company, the young couple forgot the devastation that surrounded them. But as quickly as their story began, it was over - Raj was sent to London, Norah was posted to a hospital in Rome, and they wondered if they would ever see each other again.

"My dad and I always knew this was a story for the books for many reasons," said Shaina Kohli Russo, co-author of the book, published by HarperCollins.

"My grandparents led extraordinary lives and their love story is truly inspiring, but on top of that, not many know that India fought as an ally in WWII and more so that many Indian soldiers were Muslim. It's a part of history that has not been talked about and it's so important that we finally recognize all the countries (and individuals) who helped us in the greatest war in history to defeat the greatest evil. Nowadays a lot of fear of 'others' is fuelled by differences, but if we could note that we have common ground, it truly could change the world," Russo added.

"I began writing the story of my parents about 20 years ago," said co-author Peter R. Kohli. "I found it difficult and challenging to write the story of two people who I knew so intimately, but I knew it was a story that needed to be told. It wasn't until my daughter, Shaina, took an interest in the project that it was finally completed. She was the one who brought the project to life."

Peter R. Kohli worked in corporate America since emigrating to the US in 1977 from England, where he went to university and worked for many years. Since leaving the business world in 2016, he has spent his time writing.Shaina Kohli Russo graduated from Pepperdine University in 2013 and worked in the entertainment industry for eight years. She currently lives with her husband in Nashville, Tennessee, and is working on a novel. A true story of love lost & found in WWII | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Read More........→February 23, 2026

Two People from Minnesota Who Met in the Hospital After Waking up from Comas Are Getting Married

Zach Zarembinski and Isabelle Richards – credit, family photo

Everyone knows love works in mysterious ways; but rarely more mysterious than in the story of Zach and Isabelle.

Partners in life and partners in podcasting, it was 7 years ago that the two Minnesotans were partners of a distinctly less pleasant kind.

At 18, Zach Zarembinski was rushed to Regions Hospital in St. Paul in a coma after suffering a traumatic brain injury on the high school football field. At 16, Isabelle Richards arrived 9 days later in a coma after a car crash on her way to a grocery store job.

There they lay, shattered, unconscious, and together. Alongside them, their mothers feared the worst, having been told by the medical staff to prepare for the same. But they supported each other.

“I remember she was laying there. She had shards of glass still in her hair and she was unconscious,” Esther Wilzbacher, Richard’s mother, recalled.

“Isabel had to have her right skull piece removed. Zach had to have his left skull piece removed.”credit – family photo

Despite the doctor’s warnings, it wasn’t to be the end of Zach’s journey, and the footballer woke up. Days later when he was ready, he came downstairs for a hospital news conference which was broadcast in Richard’s room, where her father and aunt saw it and suggested they go down to speak with the teen.

Wilzbacher said that Zarembinski told her that her daughter would be fine, and sure enough, she was. After Richards woke up and recovered, the mothers organized a dinner together.

“Said a couple kind words to Isabelle and that was it for six years,” Zarembinski told Boyd Huppert at KARE 11 News’ “Land of 10,000 Stories.”

Zach and Isabelle after they’d both woken up – credit family photo

But 6 years later, the mothers organized a reunion of sorts.

A Facebook friend request, a first date, a year of dates, and then… another hospital news conference.

In Regions Hospital, at the same spot where Zarembinski gave a conference as a teen, the pair of TBI survivors recorded a special episode of their podcast Hope in Healing.

After reading out Joel 2:25 and John 10:10, Zarembinski asked Richards to marry her, and the hospital staff that had ensured they both survived erupted into applause as she said yes.Partners in comatose, partners podcasting, and now, partners for life. Mysterious ways. Two People from Minnesota Who Met in the Hospital After Waking up from Comas Are Getting Married

Read More........→December 05, 2025