Shunned by families, leprosy-cured sexagenarian exchange wedding vows in shelter homes

By Prabhat Kumar Singh

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 14: Destiny chooses when you’ll die and who you’ll marry, thus goes a famous quote of William Shakespeare. Such an instance was witnessed in Odisha’s Balasore district on Friday when two elderly persons, both of them above 60, tied nuptial knots, declaring to stand by each other for the remaining part of their lives.

What is quite shocking is that these two sexagenarians who had dreamt of living decent lives with their family members were shunned by them after suffering from leprosy .

Das Marandi (63) Padmavati Das (65), the elderly persons presently staying in Bamapada Kusthashram, a shelter home for leprosy-afflicted people in Odisha’s Balasore district, on Friday exchanged wedding vows in the presence of senior government officials, assuring all to lead the life of a happy couple.

As per reports, Marandi came to the shelter home for treatment of leprosy three years ago while Padmavati Das has been an inmate for a decade now. The man was a bachelor while the lady was earlier married and has two children.

However, for Padvmavati, life turned topsy-turvy after she was diagnosed with the crippling disease. As life became miserable wheren family made her an outcast. With no hope left for survival, she came to the shelter home.

Even though Padmavati was cured of the disease, her family allegedly refused to accept her. Dejected, she came back to the shelter home.    After months of treatment, Marandi also got cured of the disease. During their treatment at the shelter home, the two souls resonated with each other and both finally decided to tie the knot.

The state health department arranged their marriage at the local Jagannath temple in Balasore.

Chief District Medical Officer, Dr Dulalsen Jagdev, medical officer of the leprosy patients’ shelter home Dr Sumitra Dey, and Additional Chief Medical Officer (ADMO) Dr Mrutyunjay Mishra were present during the ceremony.