7/100 #100sareepact

Today we attended the most beautiful golden anniversary celebrations I have ever witnessed in my life. The ceremony was a small and intimate affair hosted by Prado’s colleague and apart from immediate family members we were amongst the few fortunate friends who were invited to be a part of the celebrations. I am getting goose bumps even as I share this story of undying love and friendship between this lovely couple.

The elderly couple all of ‘just’ 73 and 69, so much in love and in sync with each other. The groom’s childlike innocence and the bride’s infectious smile, the way they glanced at each other and conversed without spoken words, their excitement when they got re-married in the presence of the holy fire had me mesmerised. I was also amazed as I knew for a fact that Prado’s colleague is a Muslim and I could not get my head around the fact that the marriage ceremony was being conducted by a pandit in a Hindu ritualistic manner.

So as we watched them conduct the ceremonies, Prado told me their love story which made me fall in love with them all over again. Back in the 1960s when Jafarbhai (Uncle) was a young lad of 23, he approached his father stating his intention to get married to Hetalben (Aunty). His father was astonished and a bit reluctant that his son wanted to wed a Hindu girl (quite unheard of in those times). But Jafarbhai stood his ground and finally his father gave in. On the other hand, Hetalben’s parents were totally against the marriage and she had to run away from home to get married to Jafarbhai in a Nikaah ceremony. Times were tough then and money was sparse, but Jafarbhai (who was just Matric pass) supported Hetalben to pursue her studies and become an MA in Gujarati Literature. She went on to become a teacher and later the principal of a local Gujarati Medium School here in Bharuch. They ensured that their kids, one son and three daughters all got their Masters (two daughters also did their PHD) and had successful careers. And today Jafarbhai had insisted that they get re-married in the Hindu traditional way because he was aware that Hetalben had always secretly wished to become a Hindu bride and he wanted to fulfil this wish for her.

Friends this is what fairytale weddings are made of, two people so in love with each other sharing a lifetime of togetherness and friendship, complementing the other person in the true sense.

I decided wear this beautiful off-white malkha saree with indigo patchwork which I had picked up from Mora by Ritika two years back but hadn’t got a chance to wear it since. On our way to the celebrations, we stopped over early morning at 7am at the garden by the Narmada where we often take the babies to play to click these delightful pictures (The picture in which I am pointing my finger was when I was excitedly telling Prado to capture the kingfisher bird that I had just spotted in the tress behind him 😉

What a fun photoshoot and a captivating morning with Jafarbhai & Hetalben!