Sadly, our society runs after glamour. No wonder many of us are aware of DeepVeer or Virushka Wedding, but very few have heard about the special wedding that neither displayed wealth nor connection.
It displayed the humanity and social change that is needed to make our society better for women.
As per TOI, this special Haryana bride asked her groom to promise that he will fund the education for 11 girls before taking the pheras (marital vows) with him.
We couldn’t help but praise this young bride for her thinking. And, what makes it even more special is the fact that this young bride neither belonged to a rich family nor belonged to a metro city. She is from a small village in Haryana, a state notoriously famous for killing girls in their mothers’ womb.
Even though this happened a couple of years back, we realized the story with so much positive impact needs to be heard and shared so that it can influence more young brides and grooms to bring change to society.
So What Really Happened?
In 2015, before taking the seven pheras with Sandeep, Poonam asked him to make the eighth vow – a promise that he would fund the education of 11 girls, and only then would she proceed with the wedding rituals.
Without taking much time, the well-spirited groom readily agreed in the presence of wedding guests who raised their hands as witnesses to the pledge between the marrying couple.
Since the groom, Sandeep, owns a coaching center, Poonam felt it was absolutely justified for her to ask for this beautiful promise.
After completing her postgraduation from a local government college, Poonam started working with Sanjay Ramphal, who works as a social worker. Sanjay, who was also present at the wedding shared:
“Initially, everyone, including me, was in shock to hear her ask Sandeep to take a pledge before they head 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,”
While speaking to TOI, Poonam also shared how an eighth phera was introduced in another Haryana city, Bhiwani, by a Red Cross worker a few years ago. The eighth phera stood for a promise that couple made to each other for never taking part in female foeticide.
Poonam shared:
“I know that most campaigns rarely see success. Keeping this in mind, I wanted to do something challenging and something that will really change some lives. 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 wedding day. It is challenging because I will have to be an equal partner in ensuring that the pledge is fulfilled.”
