Udupi: 107-year-old Meets 98-year-old Friend After 30 Years at Polling Booth!

News: Rocky D'Silva Mukamar
Photos: Glen Shirva 

Udupi, Mar 18: The much-awaited polling for the Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha constituiency got off to a slow start on Sunday March 18.

The rate at which voters flocked to the polling booths was almost an anti-climax to the high drama and action-packed weeks of campaigning that preceeded the voting day.

Amidst all this, there were two voters, who would remember this particular voting day for a reason that's nowhere political.

Meena Shetty from Inna village Karkala block, all of 107 years, took the trouble to cast her vote, assisted by her family.

At the same time in another corner, 98-year-old Celestine D'Souza too arrived, with as much difficulty and determination, at the same polling booth.

But what amused the onlookers was that both Meena and Celestine turned out to be old friends, meeting each other after 30 years!

That's what you call a memorable reunion - meeting at a polling booth while participating in the country's democratic process in the dawn of life.

Here's hoping that the politicians take a cue from this and understand what it means to the voters when they elect their leaders. Whoever wins, hope he keeps up his promises at least for the sake of voters like Meena and Celestine.