Hamirpur (Uttar Pradesh): The coronavirus lockdown did not act as a hindrance to this 23-year-old man in Uttar Pradesh. He kept his marriage date even if he had to pedal some 100km to reach his bride’s home. He did so all alone with no family members in tow.
Man on a mission
Kalku Prajapati of Pauthiya village in Hamirpur district has done this remarkable feat. He waited till the last minute for permission from the administration for his marriage April 25.
But when it did not come, Prajapati decided to go all alone on his bicycle to his bride Rinki’s place at Puniya village. It is in the neighbouring Mahoba district, 230 km south of Lucknow.
Braving all odds
“We were not getting permission from the local police for the marriage. I was left with no option but to go on bicycle, that too all alone. I somehow managed to reach there,” Prajapati, who is a farmer by profession, said.
“Those people (in-laws) had got wedding cards printed. They were ready for the wedding on the decided date,” Prajapati added.
Reason for using cycle
The marriage was fixed four-five months ago. The bride’s family had phoned for the ceremony and Prajapati went for it, according to his father.
“Though I have a motorcycle, I do not have a driving licence. Bicycle was most handy,” Prajapati said. “With a handkerchief around my mouth to save myself from any infection, I set off for the bride’s village. I wore a loose fitting jeans and a T-shirt.”
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Interestingly, the wedding was performed in a village temple. Both the bride and the groom posed before camera in their normal attires with mouths covered. It definitely is a picture for posterity of the times prevailing during their wedding.
Only the most necessary of ceremonies were held. The couple is now waiting for the lockdown to be lifted for the remaining functions. It includes a feast for the villagers.
Double effort
If anything, the return journey after the marriage was even more arduous for Prajapati. He had to carry his newly-wed wife as pillion.
“I pedalled all the way back with double load. Even in my dream, I had not thought that my legs will have such pain. I could not sleep and had to take pills to ease it,” Prajapati recalled. He added that both families were happy that the marriage had been solemnised.
Prajapati said he did not want to wait for the lockdown to be lifted to get married. “We do not know how long it will take for the lockdown to be lifted. So there was no use waiting,” he asserted.
Agencies