Upset with the continuous extension of the lockdown, a bride and groom finally found the way to tie the wedding knot. On the banks of the river Wainganga, the couple from two districts of Maharashtra (that the river separates) united.
The bride (Geetanjali) resided in Ghot Likhitwada village in the Chamorshi tehsil of Gadchiroli district. A daily wage worker in the forest department, the groom (Rasikant Neware) belonged to Ganpur village in the Gondpipari tehsil of Chandrapur district. Their marriage was fixed on March 29 at the bride’s village. However, the sudden announcement of the lockdown forced them to drop the plan. Expecting the lockdown to be of a short duration, they were hoping to marry once it ends. But the third time extension of the lockdown left them upset. They then decided to marry at the bride's village on May 19.
The bride’s side got administrative approval for organising the marriage ceremony. However, the groom and his family could not get permission to travel to Gadchiroli. Both the families found an innovative solution to this problem. It was then decided to get the couple married on the bridge of Wainganga river. This river borders both the districts and divides them. The bride’s side then got permission to travel till the district boundary and get married at the Shiv temple on the bank of the river. All of the relatives assembled in the premises of this temple and maintained social distance. Mangalashtak, a traditional Marathi song sung during the wedding ceremony, was played on the mobile during the exchange of garlands. After the marriage, the bride left with the groom for his village and family members of the bride went back to their village.
“We are happy that we could finally get married. The marriage ceremony took place at 5pm on Wednesday on the bank of the river. COVID-19 has brought a lot of fear in the society. But instead of surrendering before such a situation, our marriage gave the message that we have to move forward,” said the groom.
