My father’s name is Narayan Ji. He is 65 years old and lives in Jaipur, Rajasthan. He is a man of great willpower who has faced many hardships, yet he still maintains a hopeful spirit. My mother passed away when my younger brother and I were young, and he raised us alone with all his love and sacrifice. For many years, he refused to remarry, saying that the two of us were enough.
But after we married and had children, my father began to speak less and spend more time alone. He would sit by the window for hours, silently gazing at the streets of the Pink City. When we arrived home, he would laugh loudly and talk; but when we left, the house would fall silent.
I didn’t want my father to remain alone forever, so after much discussion, my younger brother and I decided to find someone who could be his companion and care for him in his old age. At first, my father strongly objected, saying that he was too old and didn’t need to remarry. We patiently explained to him, “Not just for you, but for us too. When someone is with you, we feel safer.”
According to Hindu custom, the wedding day was very beautiful: under the mandap, my father wore a new sherwani that made him look quite young; the bride, Rekha, wore a beautiful cream-white sari. They both circled the sacred fire; my father skillfully tied the mangalsutra and applied the sindoor. All the relatives blessed them; everyone was amazed to see him radiant as in his youth.
The celebration ended, and my father happily escorted the bride off to the wedding night so quickly that we laughed until we cried. I joked with my younger brother, “Look at Dad, he’s more nervous now than he was on his wedding day.”
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