In the heart of the Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district lies a sleepy, deserted old town named Kuldhara. Set up in the 13th century and once a prosperous city, Kuldhara has for centuries remained deserted after villagers abandoned it sometime in the 19th century. While historians and scientists have variously surmised natural disasters and persecution from local rulers as the reason for the desertion, local folklore blames curses and claims that the town is now haunted.
Haunted or not, the town continues to have its sole resident – an 82-year-old gatekeeper who has lived out most of his life in this place. And this is the story of his first and love.
“I was in my 30s when I first met Marina – she had come to Jaisalmer all the way from Australia,” the gatekeeper reminisced. Marina had come to Rajasthan for a five-day trip and he taught her how to ride a camel. “It was the 1970s. In those days, it was really possible to fall in love at first sight,” he said, adding that both of them were equally in love. “Throughout the trip, we couldn’t take our eyes off each other. And before leaving for Australia, Marina said the three magical words to me: I love you”.
The octogenarian gatekeeper was recently featured on the Facebook page Humans of Bombay where he related his unique love story that spanned over decades.
According to the Rajasthan man, Marina returned to Australia but remained in touch with him. She even invited him to her country. The gatekeeper recalled how he mustered Rs 30,000 for the trip and made his way to Australia. He remained with Marina for thee months. But things got complicated when she asked him to marry her.
“I wasn’t ready to leave my motherland and she wasn’t ready to move to India. I told her, “This can’t work long term,” the gatekeeper recalled. He also remembered how much Marina cried on the day she left but added that he “had to let her go”.
Over the years, the gatekeeper often wondered about what happened to Marina. Did she still think of him? Did she ever marry? Under pressure from his family, the gatekeeper did get married and took up the job at Kuldhara. He and his wife gave birth to two sons and with time, they too grew.
But the story did not end there. The gatekeeper said that about two months ago, 50 years since they first met, Marina found him and sent him a letter. In it, she revealed that she had never got married that she was returning to India soon. Since then, the gatekeeper has maintained touch with his first love.
Speaking to HOB, the 83-year-old man said that the letter had given him gooseflesh and made him feel 21 again. While he did not know what the future held for him and his Australian companion, the octogenarian is satisfied with the thought that his first love is still healthy, alive, and in touch, despite the passage of time.