This ‘labour’s Day’ gifted 20-year old orphan Sheela Kumari a new life as she was married to a Government employee with the blessings of a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) couple KK Soan and Aradhana Patnaik who became her parents to perform the ritual of kanyadan.

Kumari, said to be resident of Chanho block was rescued by Jharkhand State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (JSCPCR) four years back from a brick kiln of West Bengal.

“She was then admitted at Kishori Niketan, where she received vocational training courses, including beautician and stitching. It was here we came to know that she and a fourth grade employee working at Ranchi have developed a liking for each other. The parents of this groom agreed to accept Kumari when he expressed his desire to marry her. We then thought of arranging this love into marriage,” JSCPCR

member Ranjana Kumari

said on Friday.

The marriage was organized at state capital’s Kamre Ashram on Thursday in the presence of the groom’s parents, State Social Welfare, Women and Child Development minister Annapurna Devi along with JSCPCR members and local NGO representatives. Sharing about the kanyadan experience, Soan said that prevention is better than cure. “The girl is a rescued trafficked victim. Considering this pathetic phase, her marriage is definitely a cure to heal this pain. It was a pleasant occasion for us that we got the opportunity of performing her kanyadan.”

“We should keep a watch that none of the girls of the State falls in the chain of trafficking,” he added.

Highlighting the emotional reason for performing the marriage ritual of this particular girl, Soan said that when she was rescued he and his wife were posted at the state capital itself. “Four years ago, she was rescued in front of us so we thought of doing her kanyadan as well,” Soan maintained. Notably, in 2010 Soan was the deputy commissioner of Ranchi and his wife was mission director of National Rural Health Mission. According to a press

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