Sankrail (Howrah): It is said that everything is fair in love and war, and a lover from Sankrail in West Bengal's Howrah district has defied death to marry his beloved even after she breathed her last.
There was no joy in marriage. Rather, the young man was crying inconsolably while holding the dead body of the woman, as his desire to marry her lover was not fulfilled in this life. So, after the woman succumbed to breast cancer, he decided to give her the status of better half.
Mouli Mandal (23) and Sagar Barik (23) were in love since their school days. Their eight-year-old relationship suddenly entered a rough terrain in 2023, when Mouli was diagnosed with breast cancer. After undergoing surgery at the state-run SSKM Hospital in Kolkata, she was also convalescing.
Seeing her recuperation, the families started making arrangements for their wedding. However, the malady relapsed three months ago, and Mauli was taken to the sanatorium again. This time, the situation got out of the hands of the medics. The constant water accumulation in her body, coupled with breathing difficulties, exacerbated her condition. Everything came to a halt on May 2, as she lost her battle with cancer, despite the best efforts by doctors.
However, love does not die, and an indefatigible Sagar, who had always been by the side of Mouli during her illness, decided to give their relationship the respect and maturity it deserved. Fulfilling her last wish, he dressed Mouli in a quintessential red Benarasi saree, bangles of conch shells, rose garland and vermilion on her forehead, typical of a Bengali bride.
As every bride bids adieu to her paternal home for her in-laws' house, Mouli's mortal remains were taken to Sagar's house, from where her final journey started.
"A couple of years ago, she was diagnosed with cancer. She divulged it to me first. I told her family and took her to the doctor. She was undergoing treatment at the SSKM Hospital and was responding well to the therapy. We went to Tarakeswar in the Hooghly district together. She said that she would perform puja at the Kalighat temple. But her wish remained unfulfilled," Sagar said, with his voice shaking repeatedly.
"We wanted to get hitched wearing a garland of roses. She wanted to be with me, which did not happen. So I honoured her last wish," he added.
"My sister lost her battle with cancer. However, she was lucky to have a man like Sagar in her life. Many people would have turned away in this situation. But Sagar and his family were by our side through her illness. Sagar showed that true love still lives," Animesh Mondal, Mouli's brother, said.
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