A couple of Sundargarh, four years after the death of their son, married off their widowed daughter -in-law by donning the role of father and mother of the girl on Friday.
Rajesh Dahima, who is a resident of Rajgangpur and works as a scribe in a Hindi daily, did this humanitarian act. His elder son Bed Prakash(30) had married a Simdega based girl Rashmirekha (25) on January 17, 2013. However, Bedprakash died in a road accident at Ramabahal in Sundargarh district on June 29, 2014. By then, Rashmirekha was pregnant and later, she gave birth to a girl child at her in-law’s house.
Rashmirekha’s father-in-law Rajesh and his wife used to treat Rashmirekha as their daughter and inspired her to study more so that she can be self- dependant.
Rashmirekha completed her graduation in arts and also took training in computer course with the support from her in-laws. She even got a teaching job in an Urdu school at Rajgangpur and was earning some money. The daughter of Rashmirekha is now studying in an English medium school at Rajgangpur. Rashmirekha’s father-in-law and mother –in-law decided Rashmirekha to go for second marriage. They took the consents of her parents and when the latter agreed they looked for a groom and finally one Sumit Agarwal (32), a resident of Raipur in Chattisgarh was selected.
Sumit had earlier married another girl and after eight months of his marriage he had separated with his wife. Sumit and Rashmirkeha’s marriage was fixed to be solemnised on April 20 and accordingly, Sumit along with his family members and an 11-member barat reached Rajgangpur on April 20 at the Marwari Dharmasala.
The marriage of Sumit and Rashmirkeha was solemnised and Rashmirekha’s father-in-law Rajesh and her mother-in-law solemnised the marriage by performing the rituals as her father and mother. In the marriage ceremony, Rajgangpur Bikash Parishad, Marwari Mahila Sangha and Marwari Yuva Sangha cooperated.
According to sources, Rashmirekha’s four-year-old daughter will now stay in her grandfather’s house at Rajgangpur and will study and after summer vacation, she will go to Raipur to stay with her mother.
“Even if she was our daughter-in-law, we always treated her as our daughter. We are very happy after her marriage,” said Rajesh in a chocked voice.