It was to be just another wedding in Haryana’s hinterland, but a condition that the bride put before her groom right before the pheras stunned everybody. On Friday, the garlands had been exchanged between Poonam, daughter of a teacher from Bilawal village in Bhiwani, and Sandeep Kumar from Jhajjar. It was time to walk towards the mandap for the pheras and take the seven vows.
But Poonam stunned her groom and the guests at that point by stalling him and putting forth a condition. “I had been giving hints to my husband about a resolve I would want him to take and had told him I will reveal it at the right time. It is different as nobody takes such a pledge, and certainly not on their wedding day. It is challenging because I will have to be an equal partner in ensuring that the pledge is fulfilled.”
And as the gathering audience of friends and relatives looked at her in shock, she said that she wanted Sandeep to pledge to pay for the education of 11 needy girls before carrying on with the rituals. Since Sandeep runs a coaching centre, Poonam felt that this was a pledge he could fulfil.
It didn’t take Sandeep much time to give his nod. He took the pledge duly and the wedding guests raised their hands as witnesses to the pledge.
Post graduate from a local government college, Poonam has been an associate of a local social worker, Sanjay Ramphal, who is working on various projects. “Initially, everyone, including me, was in shock to hear her ask Sandeep to take a pledge before they headed for the pheras. But when she elaborated and told the people present that she wanted her husband to sponsor the education of 11 girls, we were all happy,” said Ramphal, who was at the wedding venue.
This episode is actually a major boost for the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao movement, especially since Haryana has the lowest child sex ratio – of 830-1,000 in the age group between 0 to 6 years and a female sex ratio of 877-1,000.
