The Hindu : Cupid knows no age bar

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 23, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Cupid knows no age bar

KARUR, MARCH 22. A septuagenarian man and a sexagenarian woman today tied the nuptial knot here with official recognition. The bridegroom (76) and the bride (65), both grey-haired, accompanied by their children born of their first marriages, approached the Sub-Registrar's Office to get their wedding solemnised.

The groom, Kothandapani, escorted by his three daughters and a son, told reporters ``it is not my children discarding me, but it is my remaining a widower from 1993 that has driven me to remarry. I am yet to recover from the shock over the demise of my first wife. In fact, I was so frustrated that I attempted suicide in 1995. And it is Vijayalakshmi, present wife, who saved my life and consoled me, asking me to refrain from killing myself."

"First it was Platonic love between us and later Cupid's arrow hit us,'' he said, laughing romantically. The bride, clad in a new silk saree, blushing, said "I do have children through my first marriage. My husband discarded me soon after the birth of my second child and even after four decades he has not shown himself before me.''

``We (Kothandapani and Vijayalakshmi) belong to different castes. ... We were friends first and later became lovers. ... We wanted to respect society. ... So now we are entering into formal wedlock. ...,'' she said.

The couple were cheered by a thronging crowd, which included their children and grandchildren, at the Registrar's office. — PTI

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