‘Always put God at centre of marriage’

FOR a La Mercy, couple putting God at the centre of their marriage has led to the success of their five-decade union.

Vellayathan “Gona” Govender, 74, formerly of Verulam, and his wife, Devanamah “Rani”, 68, formerly of Reservoir Hills, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on May 2.

Govender said they met while he was visiting relatives in Reservoir Hills in 1968.

“We met when my cousins and I visited her home. When I saw her, I was captivated by her beauty. She was also quiet and homely, which I liked. After we spoke, I often visited her and we became close. We used to go to the beach or cinema. We just fell in love,” said Govender.

Devanamah said: “At first, I was shy, but once we spent more time together, I found him to be sweet, caring and kind.

“We wrote love letters which we exchanged whenever we met.”

Govender said a few months later, he took his parents to Devanamah’s home.

“My parents liked her because she had good morals and values, and everyone agreed to the marriage.”

Devanamah said: “I was happy to be marrying into such a close-knit family, which was the same as mine.”

In 1971, the couple were married in a traditional Hindu ceremony, among 1 200 guests, at a temple hall in Verulam.

Govender wore a cream-coloured suit and Devanamah, a red sari. The newly-weds then moved into Govender’s parents’ home in Verulam.

The couple said they lived a blissful life.

“I have a big family with six siblings. We all lived together and it was the best years of our lives. Even though we were not wealthy, we had each other, which was most important.”

Devanamah said she shared a mother-daughter relationship with her mother-in-law.

“She was more than an in-law, but instead, a mother to me. I lost my mother at a young age, shortly after I got married, but I never felt the void because of the love and care I received from her. Right up until she passed away at the age of 91 a few years ago, we were close,” she said.

The couple have three children, Danny, 49; Terence, 46; and Devashni

VELLAYATHAN ‘Gona’ Govender and Devanamah ‘Rani’ on their wedding day, above, and on their anniversary, right.

| Naidoo, 40; and four grandchildren.

Govender, who is a self-employed builder, said in 1979 while Devanamah, a housewife, was pregnant with their youngest child, he bought a piece of land in La Mercy and built the house in which the couple still live today.

“I wanted to have a home for my family which we could leave behind for our children and generations to come in the future. We moved in a year later, just after our daughter was born.”

The couple, who converted to Christianity in 1993, said they lived by putting God first in their lives and marriage.

“My wife and I start the day with a prayer and we thank God for a new day.

“A family that prays together, stays together. We also believe that with God in our lives, we can overcome anything,” said Govender.

Devemanah said: “Also, our children, which includes our son-in-law and daughters-in-law, and grandchildren, are important.

“We believe having a strong family bond is more valuable than wealth or material things.”

The couple’s advice for other couples is to always respect each other, be loyal and speak with love, not anger.

To celebrate their anniversary, they and their immediate family had a photo shoot and dinner at their home.

¡