Marriage celebration on doomsday may appear quite paradoxical, but my own marriage was actually fixed on the 5th of February 1962, when a planetary alignment had raised doomsday fears. In 1955, I was betrothed to Prakash, the younger sister of my hostel roommate when we were undergoing Marine Engineering Course in Bombay. Though none of us had ever seen each other before, but after our betrothal, we used to exchange letters and also meet when I was on home vacation at Amritsar, when Prakash used to come to Golden Temple with her mother-in-tow.
After I joined Merchant Navy in 1961, and when my ship arrived in Triest (Italy), I got a letter from home with disturbing news about the breakup of my engagement with my fiancée Prakash, due to some issue between our parents. My father's letter explained that Parkash's parents were asking for an early marriage so that her younger sister's marriage can be arranged as demanded by her to be in-laws of their younger daughter. But since I had just joined my job in August 1961 with a Shipping company, I couldn't be back for marriage at least till my ship returns to India. This wasn't agreeable to Parkash's parents and instead, they arranged the marriage of their younger daughter in 1961 even without telling or inviting my parents. They broke my engagement with Parkash, though she had refused to marry anyone else.
When my ship returned to Bombay in January 1962, I resigned from my job as I wasn't relieved on leave by the company. After reaching home in Amritsar, I introspected that in all this break-up mess, only my fiancée would suffer the most, because of her meeting and letter writing to me, as such a liberty to unmarried was rare. I was able to convince my parents who agreed with my views. I also made Prakash's elder brother agree with my offer of reconciliation. He too managed to make his parents decide to the marriage of Prakash at the earliest. The marriage date, 5th February 1962, was randomly picked by me, to which my and Prakash's parents also agreed. Although there were astrologists' apprehensions that on that date when all the planets, including Pluto, (which was then still called a planet) are to be in a particular configuration, the end of our Mother Earth is quite possible. Such was the psychosis over the date, (as per unconfirmed news) that even a marriage in the Bhutan Royal family fixed on that date was postponed. However, to the credit of my and Parkash's parents, none objected to my insistence on our marriage on that particular date and showed appreciably full faith in what is ordained by destiny.
When we went to book for the brass-band, bride-groom's mare and a chartered bus for Baraat, the marriage party, it was readily confirmed. Even those people with whom these items were booked, were somewhat susceptible to that date for marriage, as all the bookings on that particular date were cancelled for marriages and any other functions. Many of our own relatives and friends advised us to postpone my marriage for another date, some of them even preferred to abstain from attending my marriage. But, I with the full and willing support of my parents, stuck to the 5th of February 1962 date for my marriage. Even at our Laavan Phere ceremony in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib, the usual sermons of wise men about marriage-life-responsibilities, to the couple were few, instead, they appreciated the stand taken by the bride's and groom's parents accepting the will of Pramatma who ordains our destinies. When all was sound and normal on the predicted doomsday, our decision to stick to the set-date for marriage was well vindicated. My and Prakash's happy married life was a reward for our commitment to each other till her recent death did us apart.
Written By-
L.J.Singh
Retd Chief Engineer(IMS)
Very interesting like a fairy tale great 💕🙏💕