They were just children when they became engaged in India.
Now a Bath couple have celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Dali
and Maya Bahra marked the milestone with their friends and family at a
Sikh temple in Bristol.
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| A West Country couple have celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Dali and Maya Bahra, of Bath, marked the milestone with their friends and family at a Sikh temple in Bristol PICTURE: Kevin Bates |
Mr. and Mrs. Bahra were both born in India as Sikhs and grew up together in the city of Jamshedpur. Their fathers were best friends, and the children were aged seven and 12 when it was decided that they would become engaged.
When Mrs Bahra turned 16 the couple were married in a traditional Indian ceremony in the Punjab, to which many guests travelled for three days to attend.
A turning point for the couple came when Mr Bahra, who had his own business in India, was asked by a government official to pay a bribe.
He refused, and was so angered by the incident that he decided to move to England and create a better life for his family, which by now included a baby daughter Indra.
Mr Bahra, who is 86, boarded a ship in Bombay, arriving in England in April 1952.
After visiting a few places in England, Mr Bahra decided that Bath would be a good place to settle.
He rented a room in New King Street, and started to look for a job, so he could bring his family over from India. However, he had little luck initially and to get a job he had to compromise his religious principles and cut his hair.
He found work with engineering firm Stothert and Pitt as a crane driver, and continued to work there for more than 35 years, retiring in 1987.
At the same time, he studied welding at college, and to earn more money in his spare time collected football pools coupons from more than 250 houses, fitting in just a few hours' sleep a day.
Mrs Bahra arrived in Bath in November 1953 with Indra, and the couple then rented an apartment. They later bought a house and in 1969 moved to their current home in Lower Oldfield Park.
Mrs Bahra, 81, said: "It was all very strange to me coming to Bath, as it was so different from what I was used to. I liked the city as soon as I came here, and I have made some very good friends here over the years."
The couple went on to have two more daughters – Kanta and Usha – and a son, Nicholas, and now have eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Mrs Bahra was later inspired to work with charities, in particular Support Against Racist Incidents, which is based in Bristol.
Mrs Bahra said she believed the secret to a long and happy marriage was being friends, and understanding each other.
She said: "We have known each other for a long time, and understand each other."