United in wedlock on the 28th of February 1945, Chitrapu Suryanarayana Murty (aka Babu Nana) and Chaganty Janaki Devi, our parents, led a most eventful and fulfilling life.
Meet Kumari Janaki a fiesty teenager who at 16 had already turned down
several propsecitve grooms in those days of arranged marriages in the
1940's...... she wanted Mr. Right to come along who in her mind was some one tall and good looking and would give her a chance to explore the world and experience new things.......
Mr. Right happened to be Mr. C.S. Murty an independent Gandhian follower who at 29, had no interest whatsoever in choosing his bride.......and left it entirely to his elder brother.
Thus, both of them had very different approaches to getting married and I think it is this difference in their personalities that led to a most interesting and eventful life with never a dull moment.....
No wonder they say "Marriages are Made in Heaven......" since Kum Janaki did not even meet Mr. Murty in person and was too sleepy during the wedding itself to take a good look at the groom !!
Their life has been truly remarkable
- a saga of struggle dealing with adversity and challenge with a patient smile,
- a story of success achieved through hard work and determination, and a strong sense of doing one's dharma / duty.
- a rich source of inspiration and values to everyone who came under their fold.
We, their children are very proud of our parents and are grateful to them for all that we are today and hope we are living up to their dreams and aspirations.
It is heartening to listen to relatives who talk about our parents almost always with words
of praise and affectionate recall for this simple, down to earth couple who believed in education, equality, integrity and justice.
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