Nostalgic Reminsce from the Hospital bed of Saira Banu’s dream wedding Years ago.

A nostalgic reminisce from the hospital bed of my dream wedding 58 years ago. “‘Do Sitaron Ka Zameen Par Hai Milan Aaj Ki Raat,’ that’s what played on the radio all night on the 11th of October, our wedding anniversary… a day I wish had never ended. If someone had told me, ‘O Saira, you’ve got wings for real, you can fly,’ I would have believed them without hesitation. That’s how surreal that day felt, 58 autumns ago.

Our wedding, as beautiful as it was, was wonderfully chaotic. It was nothing extravagant. My wedding lehenga was stitched at a local Darzi shop, we didn’t even have time to print our wedding invitations as everything happened so quickly. And thank goodness for that! Had we had more time, my mother, Pari Chehra Naseem Banu, would have left no stone unturned it would have been a parade of designers, jewellers, and whatnot. Originally the Nikaah was supposed to happen in November, but due to certain reasons, we had to rush. Dilip Sahib, phoned my mother from Calcutta and said “Aap Ek Maulwi Ko Bulwaiye aur Nikaah Padhwa Dijiye! Nevertheless, the day filled with humorous little moments.

Dilip Sahib and I lived very close to one another, and when the Baraat arrived at my bungalow, his Ghodi began descending a slope, causing the umbrella on it to keep brushing against Sahib’s Sehra. As we proceeded with the rituals, hordes of fans self invited themselves into my home upon hearing that their beloved actor was getting married. There were so many people that I, the bride, took two hours to descend from the upper floor just to perform the Nikaah rituals! And, believe it or not, we even ran short of food, imagine, the wedding of one of the greatest actors had a shortage of food! And the self-invited fans were collecting wedding souvenirs from downstairs whatever they could find: a spoon, a fork. Oh, it was hilarious! Yet, I was truly on cloud nine.

Today, three years have passed since I last experienced his physical presence. At times, it’s frightening, but his essence continues to show up. Recently, I was severely unwell and had to be admitted to the hospital the same room, the same bed, where Sahib spent days and nights recovering from his illness. His resilience during those days gave me the strength to heal and return home. Even in his absence, he continues to give me strength. But I suppose that’s what marriage truly is ‘FOREVER AND BEYOND’.