Coronavirus pandemic: Wearing masks, couple ties knot at private ceremony (Representational image)
Taking into account the need of social distancing to prevent the spread of coronavirus, a couple from Thane tied the knot in the presence of only a handful of relatives and friends, all wearing masks. The marriage was solemnised at the groom's house at Kalyan in the district on Friday.
In fact, the wedding ceremony was earlier scheduled to take place on March 22, but in view of the 'Janata curfew' to be observed on that day, they decided to reschedule the event. The groom, Rupesh Jadhav (25), is a lawyer, while the bride, Priyanka (24), works in the IT industry.
Clad in white costumes and wearing masks, the couple was seen using hand sanitisers frequently during the ceremony. Talking to media after the wedding, Rupesh said, "The marriage was to take place on March 22. All the preparations had been done. We had even booked a hall and distributed invitation cards to most of the guests in February. But due to the coronavirus outbreak, we decided to cancel the event and keep it a subdued affair."
"We conducted the wedding ceremony at my place. There were only about 20 guests, who included close relatives and select friends," he added. One of their friends, Radhika Salve, said, "Immediately after the prime minister's address to the nation on coronavirus, we took a decision to reschedule the marriage ceremony."
Modi, in a televised address to the country on Thursday, called for "resolve and restraint" to fight coronavirus and asked the entire country to observe 'Janta curfew' on Sunday. He also asked people to stay indoors and work from home as much as possible.
