Vadodara: It was never supposed to be a ‘big, fat wedding’. But Mahesh Viras, who doubles up as an auto rickshaw driver and supervisor at Vadodara Central Jail and Dipika Chauhan, an orphan, still had their own plans to make their marriage a memorable day.Their friends, who were excited with this inter-caste marriage, had prepared to stage the hysterical ‘nagin’ dance while the Viras family had pulled out all their resources for an elaborate ‘baraat’ with the typical bands and vintage baggi pulled by horses.The dastardly Pulwama terror attack on CRPF personnel in Kashmir valley on Thursday, just three days before their marriage, however changed it all. The typical Bollywood numbers were immediately replaced by patriotic songs in the marriage procession of Mahesh alias Manish. The guests invited for the marriage party were holding tricolour in their hands while dance and fire crackers were called off.“Living in a slum, we know the kind of difficulties that families of CRPF personnel who have lost their lives in the terror attack, will be facing. So, we have decided that whatever ‘chandla’ is gifted by the guests, will be donated to the bereaved families,” said Mahesh’s father Dinesh Viras, who lives in Ramdev Pir Chawl on Tulsiwadi Road.The Viras family had already borne the entire expenses of their first daughter-in-law, who has been raised by her ailing and currently hospitalised grandmother, since she lost her parents.“Even on normal days, my son gets disturbed seeing someone in distress. He ferries those facing medical emergencies without taking a single penny,” said Dinesh, who earns a livelihood by supplying food to ‘aanganwadis’ in the city.The family also witnessed a kind of emergency on Sunday when the word of this unique marriage procession spread in the by-lanes of Bhutdi Jhampa area. “We had made food arrangements of 700 guests, but with more guests from all communities including Hindus, Muslims and Sindhis joined, we had to arrange for 1,700 people. But thanks to everybody’s support, there was no dearth of food,” he said.Although the ‘chandla’ amount is not expected to be huge, the family believes if everybody starts contributing in their small little ways, the help that families of CRPF personnel, will receive will be huge.

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