The Sacred Relationship

Marriage is the only relationship which lasts forever. So, cherish it…

- Vasan S S

Be it a long or a short ride, I've always preferred train journeys. Unless I am pressed for time, I never go by air. It's great fun - a journey by rail. You tend to meet so many kinds of people - with their unique moods and mannerisms - in a very short span of time. If someone shows urgency in opening his lunch pack within hours of boarding the train, someone else would be anxiously checking if all his bags are in place, while another would be trying to strike a fast friendship with his co-passenger in order to swap his berth with him or would be keenly looking for a partner to play cards. In the process, I also have to bear the constant interruption of tea and coffee vendors. Yet, my passion for observing people has never mellowed.

It was during one of those train journeys when I was travelling from Chennai to Trichy by the Rock Fort Express that my eyes got transfixed on a beggar. Being a leprosy patient, he was sitting on a trolley that was being manoeuvred by his wife. The man must have been in his early forties and the lady in her late thirties. The man's nose had disappeared, his fingers were worn down, reduced to less than half their size and he could barely hold a ten-rupee note in his hand. I realized that he could, in no way be useful to his wife, who was healthy. And, for a woman who lived on the streets, it wouldn't be an exaggeration if said that she was good looking. Though she must have been aware of how useless he was to her, nevertheless I could perceive her devotion towards him. Is that the power of our Indian marriages? Is that the reward he got for getting married? Is that an insurance cover one gets along with the marriage certificate - that come what may, there will certainly be one soul who will stand by your side during the trying moments of your life?