UP man marries statue to make father happy

PRAYAGRAJ: Fulfilling one’s parents’ wishes is desirable, but a 32-year-old youth took it to another level when he married a statue to make his father happy. According to reports, Panch Raj of Bhaidpur area of Ghurpur village, about 35km from Prayagraj district, tied the knot with a statue of a bride on Tuesday evening.
His father, a retired Indian Railways employee Shiv Mohan Pal (90) said, “I have nine sons and three daughters and 11 of them are married. My eighth son Panch Raj is uneducated, mentally challenged and is jobless. He has to rely on other family members for the simplest of tasks. I didn’t want to spoil any girl’s future by getting him married.”
“However, I also didn’t want him to be unmarried as my ancestors believed that if a person dies unmarried, his family members can’t perform his ‘terharvi sanskar’ (last rituals in Hindu religion). I was worried that Panch Raj’s soul won’t rest in peace if he dies unmarried,” he added.
Given the circumstances, the elderly man consulted relatives and decided to get Panch Raj married to a statue. “My priests advised me to get him married to a statue as it would make his afterlife better,” said Pal, adding Now, that he is married, his family members can now perform his last rites,” said Pal.
On Tuesday evening, the baraat reached the wedding venue, which was in the village, while dancing to beats of a musical band. The guests followed social distancing while attending the wedding. All rituals were performed amid chants of mantras by priests and according to Hindu tradition in a decorated mandap. The procession started from Pal’s house and the wedding celebrations ended with a grand feast.
Family members said that initially Raj was not ready to get married in such a ceremony, but he agreed for his father’s happiness.