Almost a year after falling in love, two inmates of an old age home in Guwahati tied the knot on Friday (January 24, 2025).
Family responsibilities prevented Jayaprabha Bora, 65, from getting married after she stepped into adulthood while 71-year-old Padmeswar Goala vowed to be single when the girl he dated more than five decades ago walked out of his life.
As senior citizens, the two ended up at the Pramod Talukdar Memorial Old Age Home in Guwahati’s Beltola area. Cupid struck when Mr. Goala sang a medley of Bihu and Hindi film songs at an in-house event in March 2024.
Ms. Bora found herself attracted to Mr. Goala’s voice and the two eventually discovered they liked each other’s company. A few days ago, they decided to be united for life.
“When word spread that the two wanted to get married, people donated in cash and kind. The crowdfunding helped us prepare for the traditional wedding,” Utpal Harshavardhan, the secretary of the old age home, said.
“About 4,000 guests turned up for the marriage. Each was treated to a sumptuous meal,” he said.
Ms. Bora was shifted to Matri Niwas (Mothers’ Home) in the city’s Mathgharia area a few days before her marriage. Also a home for the elderly, Matri Niwas is about 8 km from the Beltola home — both run by Monalisha Society, an NGO.
A group of women helped Ms. Bora get ready for the wedding. She sported a mekhela sador while Mr. Goala arrived in dhoti kurta. The ritualistic marriage took more than an hour to be completed.
The groom, from Bokakhat in eastern Assam’s Golaghat district, spent much of his life working as a domestic help. The bride moved to the Beltola home from Tezpur in north-central Assam’s Sonitpur district in January 2024 after her two brothers died.
“It is difficult to explain how we fell in love with each other. I call him Babu and he calls me Jaan (love of one’s life). Nothing else matters,” Ms. Bora said.
Mr. Harshavardhan said a room has been provided for the couple at the old age home to spend the rest of their lives together.
