Kavita Awaasthi (HINDUSTAN TIMES; July 30, 2020)

Life has not been easy for actor Anshuman Jha since he lost his mother in January, this year. Although he took to reading the Vedas and cooking during the Coronavirus lockdown, he found it hard to stay alone at home, so much so that he flew down to the US to be with his girlfriend, Sierra, and get engaged.

A source says, “Jha has been quiet about his personal life, and has been posting cryptic images with his partner for the past year. And the most recent read ‘Gone Boy’ with an image of their hands with the rings. He met Sierra in Dharamshala last year when he went there to get Tibetan medication for his mother ailing from cancer. She is a Triathlon athlete and a food major at Duke University. She was in India from December to March to see his mother, and when he lost his mother, she was by his side.”

However, the journey wasn’t easy. The Mastram actor, 34, had to stay in a PPE kit for 30 hours straight. He didn’t use public restrooms or eat “anything other than dry fruits from home” during the journey. Once he reached, he was in self-quarantine for two weeks in North Carolina, after which the couple ventured out for a trek.

Talking about being engaged, Jha says, “I am just grateful I could get here and be with her. The trip was an adventure, JFK airport felt like a location of a sci-fi film — it was completely empty. The trip felt a little like a ‘tapasya’. If she asks me how much I love her, I will show her my photo in the PPE suit!”