Author: Radha Sharma
Publication: The Times of India
Date: November 10, 2007
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Wedding_bells_for_Godhra_girl/articleshow/2530955.cms
After a long time, this Diwali has brought
happiness into the lives of Panchal sisters, who lost their parents in the
Godhra Sabarmati train carnage of 2002 and have been poster-girls of grit
and determination as they struggled to get a foot-hold in the society on their
own.
Komal, 25, the eldest of the four has got
engaged and all set to get married on December 6, 2007, which incidentally
is the anniversary of the Babri masjid demolition.
Komal has got engaged to Pritesh Panchal,
a guy from their community, who works as a relationship manager with GE Money.
In fact, this is the first Diwali after so many years, that the four sisters
will get over the pall of gloom that descended on their lives after the Godhra
carnage and get into the festive mood.
On Friday, the sisters were all dressed up
to go shopping and chill out with their brother-in-law-to-be Pritesh and later
a get-together at his home in Nava Wadaj.
The Panchal sisters were orphaned five years
ago, when their parents Harshad and Meeta Panchal, got killed in S-6 coach
of the Sabarmati Express on February 27, 2002.
Flung into the dark tunnel of life, the sisters
proved their detractors who wondered about how a bunch of young girls would
be able to survive in this big, bad world, wrong. In fact, all the sisters
have completed their education and are now career girls, thus proving to be
a beacon of hope for all others, who lost their near and dear ones.
Komal, who earlier worked with a call centre
is now employed as a teacher in Dhandhuka. Younger sister Avani (24) is studying
in Gandhinagar to be a teacher in a high school.
Gayatri (23) is doing her Masters in Indian
History while the youngest Priyanka (21) is working in a multi-media firm.
Clearly, the girls have come a long way from
the "what will happen to us" phase, to "we can face anything
and come out winners"! Komal is all set to move her sisters, who currently
live in Vastral, close to her in-laws' home so that they can be together even
after her marriage.
"My in-laws are very nice. In fact, they
suggested that we will rent a house for my sisters nearby in Nava Wadaj so
that we all can be together", says Komal. Meanwhile, the sisters are
all gung-ho about Komal's marriage.
"We have shopped only for sarees. We
will go marriage shopping after Diwali", chirped Avani.
