Brazilian weds Jodhpur man, awaits legal nod for registering marriage
When Heloisa Miranda Silva came all the way from Brazil to marry her love from Jodhpur in Rajasthan last year, little did she realise getting hitched with him will be a long-drawn struggle.
Silva, an architect, met software engineer Nitesh Jain on Facebook about a year-and-a-half ago. Soon their friendship turned into love and the two decided to tie the knot.
Armed with a no-objection certificate from her father in Brazil, she came to India in November last year to marry Nitesh.
But when the two applied for marriage in the district collectorate, it set off series of complicated official procedures as to be bride is a foreigner, forcing Silva to seek the intervention of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.
Swaraj, who has earned praise for helping Indians abroad, did not disappoint the Brazilian either.
Her ministry directed the collectorate office to process the marriage application, following which the much-awaited wedding was finally solemnised at a local Arya samaj temple in Jodhpur on Thursday.
Jodhpur district collector Ravikumar Surpur said as per rules the application will be now sent to marriage registration office in Brazil, where Silva is native.
“A seven-day public notice will be issued by the Brazilian registration office. After getting nod from Brazil, the marriage will be registered here,” he said.
According to Brazilian law, the local marriage officer has to vet that the girl is mature.
She also needs to get a no-objection certificate from the Brazilian embassy in New Delhi.
A visibly relieved Nitesh said the process to legalise their marriage is on.