In 1943, my grandmother and her younger sister got married to two brothers and subsequently, moved to Nairobi, Kenya with their husbands. In Gujarat, jhanjhar are considered to be an auspicious gift for new brides and it was on their wedding day, that my great-grandfather split this piece of jewellery between his two daughters, giving them each a single jhanjhar.
Before partition, my naani, Shanti Devi belonged to Lahore, now in Pakistan. She married my grandfather, Gyan Chand on 16th March 1950 in one of Karnal’s districts which is now Panipat. This is when she was given this keyring or ‘challa’ – as we call it in Punjabi – as a part of her wedding trousseau by her mother.
Set in black jade, the pendant has the initials of my grandparents inscribed on it in gold, intervowen within one another. S for Suraksha and P for Prem. My grandfather got this handcrafted at Kanjimal Jewllers in Chandni Chowk sometime in the mid-1950s and gifted this to my grandmother on one of their early wedding anniversaries.
My grandfather recalls his mother, Snehalata Majumder to always be well dressed and adorned. Some of my family members even remember her being weighed against gold during her marriage. I never met my great-grandmother in person, but when I wore this bracelet, which once belonged to her, I was overwhelmed.
My grandparents reached Delhi separately with their families in 1947, but their love story had begun long before that. Along with their stories, I have inherited a simple ring that spoke volumes of their love for each other.
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