The wedding of Indian Postal Service officer Shivam Tyagi and Indian Revenue Service officer Arya R Nair is in the news for their unique vows. The two tied the knot on January 27 under the Special Marriage Act at a sub-registrar’s office in Kottayam district of Kerala. The marriage took place in a very quiet atmosphere with simplicity but the oath taken by the newlyweds is making headlines.
What is oath?
Shivam and Arya have taken an oath to support the education of 20 children of an orphanage. Arya, a 2021 batch IRS officer, says the decision to skip the wedding festivities was difficult, “Every relative and friend of mine was waiting for the wedding day. They were keen to run all the wedding functions for two to three days, as this is the practice in Kerala.”
Arya is currently on training. Regarding the unique wedding vows, she says, “My parents are retired from government service. Initially, he could not digest the idea of a simple wedding. It was quite natural since he had attended many wedding functions that he wanted to invite everyone as well. Even our relatives did not like our decision to bear the education expenses of the orphans. But now everyone is appreciating us.”
What message do the officer husband and wife want to give?
Engineering graduate Arya says her decision will give many prospective brides and grooms the confidence to say no to expensive weddings. “The youth should face the pressure of the society with courage in the matter of conducting the marriage ceremony,” he said.
Originally hailing from Delhi, Shivam Tyagi is a 2020 batch officer. Shivam, who is based in Ahmedabad, said, “The idea of a simple wedding came from Arya. It was a culture shock for my relatives as they were looking forward to the celebration. In the coming years also we will help the students in the orphanage to meet their educational expenses.”
A day after the wedding, on January 28, both went to Delhi to meet Shivam’s family. Shivam started his work in Ahmedabad on Thursday while Arya was shifted to Gujarat for training.
