Assam youth bid farewell to deceased lover by putting vermillion on her forehead, epitomizes ‘love forever’

A mournful weather blankets Assam’s Raha town in Nagaon district as a young girl died following a long battle with a fatal disease on November 18. 

What caught the attention of the masses was not her death, but the way her partner and long-time lover bid her farewell by applying vermillion on her forehead, epitomizing “until death do us apart”.

At a time when the country is shocked by the grisly murder of 26-year-old Shraddha Walker by her long-time tainted live-in partner Aaftab Amin Poonawala in Delhi, Assam’s Bitupan Tamuli and Prarthana Bora’s emotional story of love and companionship has etched a never forgettable moment among the netizens.

While Aaftab killed his Shraddha when she requested her partner for marriage, Assam’s Bitupan set an emotional example of love when he gave a heartfelt farewell to his love Prarthana Bora of Nagaon.

All of us will ultimately mourn and be lamented. Grief is unique, individual, and personal, but it is also shared and universal. Every culture and religion has specific rituals and times for public expression of grief, which are regulated and guided by them.

Prarthana was battling with an incurable disease for a long time. Yet the duo did not stop looking forward to a life together and was planning for their wedding for some time now. Like we say, none can be done when destiny has already written the story of your life, Prarthana’s destiny too slowly showed its cruel fangs. 

Prarthana lost the battle of her life, leaving behind her dreams, family, friends and her love with whom she was dreaming of a life-long companionship. But Bitupan did not leave his lover’s dreams unfulfilled. If not in life, Bitupan did apply the vermilion on Prarthana’s forehead, garlanded her dead body and prayed for her soul to rest in peace. 

If love is so deep and sacred, then this is how the lover can say a final goodbye to the beloved. You usually come across such emotional scenes only in movies. But the people of Raha actually saw this poignant scene of love between Bitupan and Prarthana leaving thousands of eyes moist.

The two dreamt of building a happy world. With his hands in hand, Bitupan and Prarthana kept the hopes of stepping on the path of life. The duo dreamt of building a beautiful house together. But cruel destiny did not allow that to happen. With hopes bound in her heart, Prarthana left for the unknown territory.