Inter-faith couple tie knot under a tree at alma mater

KOCHI: At 9.30 am on Saturday, an unusual event took place under a tree at Maharaja’s College. Former students Amarnath H, 23, and Safna P S, 22, tied the knot in the presence of friends and family members.
Asked why they had opted to get married under the tree, Safna said, “The tree, like any other natural support system, does not have any religious bias. Being from different religions, there is no single custom to bridge our differences. That’s why we thought of starting a new custom.” The couple said it was not the ‘thali’ or the moment that mattered, but the sense of belonging.

“We treat all religions with equal respect. And religion should not be a factor that should polarise two souls. For me, what matters is how well they live,” said Safna’s mother Mumtaz.Interestingly, no prior permission was taken from the college authorities for the ceremony.During their student days, while Amarnath was pursuing a degree in Malayalam literature, Safna was a BA History scholar. Despite belonging to different departments, they would meet often since they were both members of the film club as well as the Students’ Federation of India. “I campaigned for Amarnath when he stood for the post of Arts Club secretary, and he won,” recalled Safna.

They fell in love even though Amarnath is a Hindu and Safna is a Muslim. Today, Amarnath is a Bengaluru-based video editor, while Safna has just resigned from her job at a private company in Mattancherry so that she can join him.