Married off as kids, couple ties the knot again 75 years later
BIKANER: When Chetan Gehlot, 86, and Kamla Devi, 82, began planning their 75th wedding anniversary celebrations, their grandchildren fondly asked them how they had married.
The Bikaner couple couldn’t recollect the memories of their wedding because they were kids when they were married in 1943; Gehlot was 11 and Devi seven.
“We have completed 75 years of togetherness, but there are no memories of the wedding, so our grandchildren suggested we get married again ,” said Gehlot, who retired 24 years ago from the department of information and public relations.
On Thursday, Gehlot dressed up like a groom and rode a horse to a wedding garden, and Devi, dressed like a bride, waited for the rituals to begin.
“My wife was initially not on board with the decision (to go through with another wedding ceremony) but our grandchildren coaxed her into agreement,” Gehlot added.
Gehlot and Devi’s children reached out to their maternal grandparents and convinced them to perform the rituals of the bride’s family.
“It was amazing to see them get married again. Generally, we see people giving blessings to the newly wed couple, but here most of the guests were younger than the bride and the groom, so they were touching their feet instead seeking blessings,” said Bhumika, a granddaughter of the couple.
The Gehlots are a big family: the couple has three sons and a daughter, four grandsons, seven granddaughters, three great grandsons and five great granddaughters.