Covid-19: In Jalandhar, a wedding in the times of curfew

Deepkamal Kaur
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, April 2

Jalandhar-based artist Neha Mahajan says she had dreamt that her ‘Mr Right’ would come riding a horse and take her home after a gala ceremony which was attended by her friends and family. But owing to curfew restrictions imposed by the government to check the spread of coronavirus, all the meticulous planning that she had been doing for the nearly the past three months went haywire. Only her parents and two sisters could be a part of the wedding solemnised today at Sangat Singh Nagar gurdwara here this morning.

The family availed curfew passes from the administration only for five persons. As they reached gurdwara, groom Ramandeep Singh, a sculptor-cum-businessman, along with his four family members came from Mansa. The families brought along with them dispensers of hand sanitizer and face masks, besides other goodies meant for exchange.

The families said that all the bookings of the banquet hall, caterers, flower decorators, parlour etc had to be cancelled as Neha’s parents and her in-laws decided that they would not postpone the marriage and would hold it in a simple way as per the government restrictions. “Even my maternal uncle could not reach here from Chandigarh for the bangle ceremony and our local acquaintance played that role last evening. I now somehow believe that fate is all-powerful and it is ‘he’ who ultimately decides how things will eventually turn out to be. Ever since we got engaged in December, we had been doing all the planning, which came of no use at the end. Also, I have begun to believe that no-frills marriage is the best way to get wedded and I have enjoyed it thoroughly”, said Maqsudan locality-based girl who is a fine art postgraduate and has served as a lecturer in a local college.

On no chances of honeymoon or even local outings, the couple said, “We have no problem with that. We are mentally prepared to stay at home. Since both of us will not be able to go to work, we will enjoy each other’s company and spend more time with the family”.

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