KOCHI: How about a Christian priest standing in as the father of a bride at a wedding held as per Hindu rituals? As rare as it is, the village of Vandanpathal in Kottayam district saw precisely that when Fr Roy Vadakkel, the director of Bethlehem Ashramam, turned father to Parvathi who grew up at the orphanage. She married Ananthu, a resident of Kattappana in Idukki district recently. A video of Fr Roy standing in as her father, has since gone viral.
According to sources at Bethlehem Ashramam, Parvathi had come to the orphanage located in Mundakayam panchayat after her mother passed away.
“She was a year old when she became an inmate of the orphanage run by Fr Roy. She was brought to the institution by local residents as the child had no one to take care of her,” a source told TNIE.
And Bethlehem Ashramam has been Parvathi’s home for 21 years. For the inmates of the orphanage, Fr Roy has been the father that they never knew.
“After her schooling, Parvathi did a technician course in dialysis. Once she completed the course, she received a marriage proposal. She conveyed the same to Fr Roy. He then sat down with her relatives and other well-wishers,” said the source.
There were no objections since the groom too was from the Hindu community.