50 yrs after marrying Punjabi soldier, Naga woman meets family
SINCE 1968, WHEN THE CHRISTIAN WOMAN MARRIED VAKIL CHAND, A HINDU MAN OF LEHRAGAGA, SHE COULD NEVER CONTACT ANY MEMBER OF HER FAMILY
Ever since she married an army man in Punjab around a half century ago, Nagaland woman Anita, now 65 and settled in Lehragaga town of Punjab, had always longed to be in touch with her parents whom she had left after falling in love with the soldier.
She would have to spend the rest of her life with that longing, had the efforts of a woman IAS officer of West Bengal cadre, who hails from Lehragaga and had promised 20 years ago to locate her family, not borne fruit.
Since 1968, when Anita, an 18-year old Christian woman, who married Vakil Chand, a Hindu man of Lehragaga, she could never contact any member of her family in Dimapur town of Nagaland.
Last week, IAS officer Preeti Goyal, who is now posted in Hooghly district of Bengal, finally tracked down Anita’s family at Dimapur after her untiring efforts over the past two years.
Anita immediately left for Dimapur for a much longed for family reunion. Back in Sangrur, she says, “I am very happy today. I have met my family. It was like a dream to see my folks after 50 years.”
However, she could not meet them all. “I pined to meet my mother but she has passed way. However, I spent quality time with my brother and his family there.”
Anita’s love story blossomed in 1967 and the couple tied the nuptial knot in 1968. She was blessed with two sons, Manoj Kumar and Pawan Kumar, now 47 and 45, respectively. But she had been living in depression all along for not having been touch with her family in Nagaland.
“The couple had spent some years happily but after that she started missing her family and often came to our house where she spent some time with my daughter,” said Kanta Goyal, IAS officer Preeti Goyal’s mother, who lives in Lehragaga.
However, Preeti could not be contacted despite HT’s repeated phone calls.