Today is a special day for Sajitha, a native of Chengamanad. It is her wedding day and Sajitha, who suffers from arthritis, never imagined such a day in her life as the disease has restricted her body movements. But then she met Jayagopal, an astrologer, through her friend and her life changed for the good. Sajitha sounds extremely happy when she talks about her marriage with Jayagopal, a native of Vaikom.
“It was my friend who introduced me to him. Once he gave his phone to chettan and we had a formal chat. Later, when my friend told him about my situation, chettan asked if he could talk to me. We talked; it was about my star and other astrological aspects,” says Sajitha.
Though there were no frequent calls, life brought them together and they decided to get married. “Over time, we realised that we think alike. Even if we disagree, there was a mutual respect while sorting things out.”
Arthritis struck Sajitha after her pre-degree days. She was quite active in music, dance and sports before that. The disease made her bedridden for three years. “All my joints had pain. I couldn’t even talk properly,” recalls Sajitha. But, she was determined. She fought against all odds, and like a toddler, got up and eventually walked. Sajitha accepted her state and started a blog Ambalpoovu.
When Jayagopal mentioned marriage, Sajitha had her own apprehensions. She believes that a marriage is held between two families. “Even if I walk, I may lose balance if there’s an obstacle. I told him this and also mentioned that I wouldn’t be able to give him certain pleasures of life as I am physically unstable. He replied saying even healthy people find difficulty in that and external beauty is perishable. He said he wants me to be a friend, believes that children are God’s gift and is not even against adopting one” says Sajitha. “He wants me to pursue my writing. He said he would set up a library for me.”
Jayagopal doesn’t even like mentioning the word disability. “This marriage is not out of sympathy. Suppose I marry a healthy woman. Anything can happen to her! There is no guarantee about our life. Or if this happens to my siblings, will I leave them? I will support them. So, I want to support Sajitha in her journey. She writes well and has the inner strength,” he says.
They wanted to do a register marriage, but the families wanted to conduct it in the temple. However, it would be a green wedding. “We will plant a sapling and give away saplings to the invitees. They will have to send us a photo for us to confirm. And, next year, we will check if it is maintained properly. Also, we are replacing paper glasses with steel glasses.”
