Groom walks 28 kilometers to reach brides home in Odisha's Rayagada

Marriages are usually joyous ceremonies where people have a good time. But for a groom and his family members in Odisha's Rayagada district, it turned out to be a 28-kilometer-long grueling walk on a rugged train to reach the bride's home as they were unable to arrange any transport due to the recent drivers' strike in the State.

Rayagada (Odisha): Barely a couple of days before when a groom – under the influence of alcohol- forgot his wedding date and reached the bride’s house a day later at Bhagalpur in Bihar, forcing the bride’s family to cancel the marriage here's a touching story from Odisha's Rayagada district where a groom and his family members, bereft of any transportation, walked 28 kilometers to reach the bride's village for the wedding.

Failing to arrange a vehicle because of the ongoing drivers' strike in the state, the groom and his family members, including a few women, began their journey on Thursday night from Sunakhandi panchayat under Kalyansinghpur block. The journey took them through rugged terrain and difficult terrain, but they persevered, reaching Dibalapadu village where they tied the knot on Friday.

A video of the groom and his family members walking at night went viral on social media, highlighting the struggles of common people during such strikes. “We reached here after walking 28 km. We have booked 4 vehicles for the marriage procession. We started walking from 6 pm and reached here at 3 am. Due to the driver's strike, we had to walk all the way,” the groom- Ramesh Praska, said.

"Our marriage date was fixed earlier and we had all plans but due to the Driver's strike going on for three days, we had to walk with the groom to reach the marriage venue," said Rami Hikaka, the groom's brother.

The marriage was solemnized on Friday morning, but the groom and his family members stayed at the bride's house, waiting for the drivers' association to withdraw the strike so that they could return home. The strike by the drivers' association had been launched across the state from Wednesday, demanding social welfare measures like insurance, pension, formation of a welfare board, and others.

The strike by over two lakh drivers had hit the normal life of people in the state, including office goers and tourists. The impact of the strike was also felt in the price rise of essential commodities. However, following an assurance by the state government that all their demands would be fulfilled, the strike was put on hold for 90 days.

The announcement by the Drivers' Ekta Mahasangh came barely a few hours after the Chief Secretary and DGP appealed to the striking drivers to withdraw the stir. This news was a relief for the groom and his family members who could now arrange transportation for their return journey.