Wedding wow

How an intercaste couple got married at a flooded temple in a cooking pot

- ANJULY MATHAI

Snehaveedu is an old-age home in Ambalappuzha, Kerala, with around 20 elderly people abandoned by their families. Whenever they can, Akash Kunjumon and A. Aiswarya sponsor a meal for them. Today is a special day. It is their son Arush's first birthday. When we arrive, we are ushered to a table and served a sumptuous meal of rice, vegetables and chicken curry. The dishes have been prepared by Akash's family, who own a small tea shop nearby. Akash, says Aiswarya, has always had a helping mentality. It is one of the things that first drew her to him.

"I have an older cousin who is very service-minded," says Akash. "From her, I got the desire to serve. I volunteer with the local fire force and also help out at a nearby palliative care facility."

Akash and Aiswarya met during the pandemic when both joined the same hospital, he as a member of the cleaning staff and she as a nurse. "He is very quiet," says Aiswarya. "Although he is friendly, he doesn't go overboard. I liked that about him."

Love, however, was not on the cards. "My ambition had been to start a farm," says Akash. "At the age of 18, I went to the Gulf for six years and worked in aluminum fabrication. My only thought then was to make enough money to get my two sisters married off. I had not considered the possibility of my own marriage."