Valentine’s Day: Meet true valentines from Odisha who defy physical constraints to tie nuptial knots

Valentine’s Day, a joyous occasion dedicated to love, is being celebrated with pomp and gaiety across the globe today. Valentine’s week starts on February 7 with Rose Day and culminates on February 14 with Valentine’s Day. Love is eternal and heavenly. It is beyond caste, creed, colour and physical limitations.

A couple from Nuapada district has proved themselves as true valentines. Meet Baman Joshi and Puspanjali Pradhan from Kharia area in the district. Though both of them are not able to speak since their birth, they decided to tie the nuptial knot despite their physical constraints. Since then they have been sharing a deep bond between them.

Their love story blossomed on Facebook five years back. Subsequently, with consent from both families, they exchanged vows. Though they can’t express their feelings in spoken words, they have a heart-to-heart relationship. They can understand each other’s feelings easily through sign language. So deep is their love that they even often feed each other and walk together hand-in-hand. With a deep love for each other, their family life is running smoothly.

“They have a deep love for each other. They are living a fulfilled life. Their behaviour towards each other is very sweet. Both of them also behave well with others,” said Baman’s elder brother Radheshyam Joshi. 

“They developed a love relationship through Facebook five years back. With consent from family members, they got married as per all the social rituals one and a half years back. They have a very sweet relationship. They are also actively involved in all the social occasions and leading a very fulfilled life,” said Satyapriya Munda, one of the relatives of the couple.

The love story of a couple from Khalsahi village in Jeypore is also highly elevating. Though Muna and Anita are very poor, their financial constraint has not prevented them from expressing their deep love towards each other. Amid hardships and heavy struggle, their love relationship has not faded a bit; rather it is flourishing with each passing day.

Muna and Anita developed a love relationship through phone calls. Though Muna has lost an eye, Anita had no hesitation in marrying him. They have had a blissful conjugal life for the last one year.

“Though I knew that Muna had lost his vision partially, I had no hesitation to marry him as we had developed a deep love and a strong bond with each other. My decision was right as I am living a fulfilled life with him,” said Anita.

“Anita and Munu are an ideal couple. Anita is working very hard and Muna is supporting her well to make ends meet. Their deep love relationship is inspiring for others,” said Muna’s neighbour.