GUWAHATI: Vedic mantras will be chanted at a Muslim man’s house in Assam’s cultural city Tezpur on Sunday night on the occasion of his step daughter’s marriage.
Roisa, 22, a schoolteacher, is a Bengali Hindu who was raised by Sher Alam and his family since she was six-months old.
The groom, Amit Guha, also a Bengali Hindu, is a lawyer at the District and Sessions Court in Tezpur. They had pursued their studies in the same college.
The local people, belonging to both communities, have started pouring into Alam’s house to be a part of the “rare and unique” marriage which, they believe, will send a strong message across the country.
Roisa’s parents — father, the late Hare Krishna Mishra and mother Rupa Mishra — lived at Alam’s house as tenants. It was here that Roisa was born. Later, she was raised by Alam’s family.
Hare Krishna had passed away just months after her engagement to Amit in January this year.
“She is no less than my daughter. But as she was a Hindu, I had always wanted to marry her off to a Hindu youth. But I was not sure that a Hindu will marry her since she was raised by a Muslim family. My joy knew no bounds when Amit’s family came forward to seek Roisa’s hand for their son,” Alam told Express.
Revealing that the wedding will be solemnised in a Hindu way, Alam said that Roisa had always followed the Hindu religion and his family had no qualms about the same.
“She grew up following Hinduism and we never interfered in it. After all, we all are the children of God. There is no Muslim or Hindu per se,” said Alam.
Roisa is overjoyed as she belives that Amit too has a liberal mindset like her. “We believe in humanity. We should live and work for humanity,” said the bride.
Alam’s niece had come all the way from Dubai to be a part of her “sister’s” wedding. “We grew up together. Not even once, did it come to our mind that she is a Hindu. She is our bubbly sister. May God bless her abundantly,” she said.
Roisa’s mother Rupa said uncertainty loomed large over the marriage after her husband’s death in January this year, but Alam’s family stood by them, and kept giving them the courage to go ahead with the wedding.