Groom caught a bus to his wedding
FOR their big day, bridal parties are known for making a grand appearance, chauffeured in fancy, luxury cars. Ramnarain Sheobalak arrived for his wedding in a bus. And late.Fifty-five years later, he and his wife, Vidhyawathie, still chuckle about it.
“It’s actually a funny story,” said Sheobalak, 83.
“We were going to have a joint ceremony with Vidhyawathie’s sister (Tara) but while on my way from Glencoe my car broke down and I had to take a bus.”
He arrived at the wedding venue – the Ramadeens’ family farm in Elandskop – a few hours late and by then Tara was already a Mrs and the band he had so looked forward to hearing had packed up and left.
Vidhyawathie, 78, said she was not mad at him that day. “It was a little late but I knew he would arrive,” she said affectionately.
The couple, who had married a year before their actual wedding ceremony on April 14, 1963, reminisced about how they met, and their big day.
“She was so beautiful; I couldn’t go a second without finding out more about her,” Sheobalak recalled, thinking when he first laid eyes on Vidhyawathie Ramadeen.
The then 27-year-old teacher, who lived in northern KwaZuluNatal at the time, said he had attended a hurdee (a pre-wedding ceremony) in Elandskop when he spotted Vidhyawathie.
Determined to know about this slim 23-year-old woman, he said he knew that he had to act fast.
“My mother and I introduced ourselves to her family and enquired about her. Soon after meeting, we were invited to ‘see the girl’ at her home.”
He continued: “Back then, the tradition was that the boy’s family would go to see the girl and she would serve tea and snacks. My mother, elder brother, sister-in-law and a few of my sisters went to her home. Luckily my brother, Mathasarran, had a vehicle. It was a three-and-a-half hour long drive, which felt like six hours. I was getting impatient to see her again.”
Upon arrival, the Sheobalak family had their tea and snacks and made it clear they wanted Vidhyawathie’s hand in marriage.
“After our meeting, we left for home and a few days later we received a letter from her family that they accepted the alliance and we could go ahead with planning the wedding.”
The couple got registered and held a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony a year later.
“A lot of people would get married and register their wedding and in my case, if I registered my marriage I would get a marriage allowance,” explained Ramnarain.
“We got married a few months after our meeting, at the court. Although we got registered, we did not live together until our wedding.”
For the ceremony, Vidhyawathie donned a green sari, while Ramnarain looked dashing in a navy suit.
After their ceremony, the couple made their way to his home where they still had car trouble.
“We only got home after midnight that night,” said Vidhyawathie.
The couple had three children – Ashant, Sadhna and Shalendra.
When asked about their secret to a long and happy marriage, Vidhyawathie beamed. “We were prepared to take the good and the bad. We lived a good life together and looked after one another,” she said. “Now our kids, their spouses and our grandchildren take care of us. We had tough times but we learnt to deal with those times through communicating and working together.”
The Sheobalaks, who live in Glencoe, celebrated 56 years of marriage, and their 55th wedding anniversary with a small party.