JAIPUR: The decision of the Gehlot government to seal all interstate boundaries of Rajasthan to prevent unauthorized entries and check the increase of corona cases, created a strange situation for a man and his bride in the Sri Ganganagar district.
Given the strict implementation of the national lockdown and the fresh orders to seal off Rajasthan’s borders from midnight on Wednesday, the young couple was delayed from getting married for well over eight long hours.
The young groom from Punjab, Akshay Kumar, had come for the wedding along with his mother Tara Devi at 10 am on Thursday. They came with permission from the Punjab government and asked the authorities to allow them to enter Sri Ganganagar at Sadhuwali area on the Rajasthan border.
Though they showed their documents to the Naib Tehsildar, the official argued that permission by Punjab government was no longer valid as fresh orders had arrived from the Rajasthan government which directed the sealing of the state’s borders. As officials at the border refused to allow them entry into Rajasthan, the groom spent hours there requesting officers to help him reach the wedding venue in Sri Ganganagar.
After several rounds of pleas to officials, the young groom was finally allowed to enter Sri Ganganagar around 3 pm in the afternoon. But even as the health Department functionaries were screening the groom and his mother, the Naib Tehsildar received another phone call which directed that the permission granted to the groom had once again been revoked.
Ultimately, a group of local journalists stepped forward as saviours to help the harassed groom and his bride. Around 4 pm, they reached the home of the bride Sunita and took her along with two of her uncles to the District Collector’s office. Once the entire issue was narrated to the Collector, he finally granted permission for the groom to enter the city in Sri Ganganagar. After this, the groom eventually arrived at the bride’s home around 5 pm. With his sisters-in-law giving him a ceremonial welcome, the groom finally entered his bride’s home. Soon, the couple got married on the terrace of the bride’s home.
"Interstate borders have been sealed so that no unauthorized person can enter Rajasthan and permission from other state governments is not entertained. NOC by Rajasthan government is a must and we decide the case on the merits," Said N Shiv Prasad, Collector Sriganganagar
Mercifully, the messy tale had a happy ending as the groom from Punjab finally took his bride from Rajasthan after a ceremonial send-off on the same evening. Given the trauma and the uncertainty they faced, the young couple is unlikely to ever forget their very special wedding in the corona era.