Pune: Teachers and staff raise money to organise wedding of school peon

“My mother died eight months ago from blood cancer. Before her death, she kept urging me to get married. She was worried there would be nobody to take care of me after her. But due to her illness and medical expenses, it was not possible for me to get married,” said Ankush.

His father passed away five years ago and his three sisters are already married.

“I was not sure if I would ever be able to get married, since I didn’t have the means for it,” said Ankush.

When Ankush broached the topic of marriage with Gowri Santhanam, the school principal, she immediately suggested that the staff will help him. “It gave me hope,” said Ankush.

“He is our colleague and that’s why we have rallied around him,” said Santhanam.

Francis David, who heads the Tamil Association that runs the school, said the school did its best to help out Ankush.

For the wedding ceremony, the school premises and pandal were provided free of cost.

“At least 300 invitation cards were printed and lunch was also arranged,” said David.

The nearly 400 guests at the wedding included retired teachers and former principals of the school.

S A Kanaraj, general secretary, said such gestures go a long way in uniting different communities and creating a positive atmosphere in society.

“It is a gesture worth emulating,” he said.