Silvester D’Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (RJP)
Udupi, May 14: This may well have been story of a television serial or a Bollywood movie, only, it actually happened in real life. Wedding does not take place as planned as the bridegroom is taken away by police because he is married. His real wife is a complainant who arrives with police to stop the wedding. Bride feels let down, but the groom's relative comes to her rescue in the form of new hope in her life. He agrees to marry her. And eight hundred invitees witness these incidents.
It all happened at Rajalaxmi wedding hall in Manur near Kota where Shankar Nayiri from Murukai Kota and Veena from Kirimanjeshwara were about to enter wedlock. But the wedding did not take place as planned due to the arrival of a complainant and the police right on time.
Devendra and Veena (newly-wed)
Shankar and Saraswati (old photo)
The complainant was Saraswati from Bengaluru. Saraswati who came accompanied with her mother, aunt and Aravalli police, claimed that Shankar was her husband. Shankar was hesitant to admit the fact first. Saraswati then showed the photos of their wedding.
Shankar was immediately taken to the local police station where he admitted that he had married Saraswati a year back.
Meanwhile, the bride Veena suffered a shock by the sudden turn of events. She comes from a poor family and worked in a fair price shop, and had availed loan for her marriage.
When everyone in the wedding hall was perplexed about the sad developments, Devendra came to the rescue of Veena and offered to marry her at the same time fixed as in the invitation. The grateful bride and her family gave their consent, and the nuptials took place between Veena and Devendra in the presence of the guests. Devendra is incidentally a relative of Shankar.
Meantime Saraswati narrated her story in the police station in front of Radhadas Kundapur, the president of taluk women's federation. She said that Shankar was in Bengaluru five years ago on some work. A missed call by Shankar by mistake to Saraswati ended up in their meeting. The meeting made them fall in love with each other. The affair went on for four years, and culminated in wedding at Bolar Muneshwara temple in Bengaluru. Saraswati who was working in a garments shop, recently left her job. Shankar who was working in Manipal press used to travel to Bengaluru now and then.
When there was no news from Shankar for a whole week, an anxious Saraswati called Shankar's colleague, and it was then that she learnt about his second marriage. Wasting no time, Saraswati approached the Aravalli police station and lodged a complaint. Then she visited the right place at the right time, with the right people.
Meanwhile, all is well with the newly-wedded couple. Veena and Devendra will visit Kollur temple on Friday May 15 to seek the blessing of the Goddess. Also, the marriage rituals of Shankar and his wife Saraswati will be performed again in the presence of family members at the temple, family sources said.