Groom misses wedding for company-held passport

Mohan Kumar, and young Indian manager at the Al Sarooj petrol station in Mudaibi, 200km away from Muscat, Oman, should have been in Kochi, Kerala, getting married today morning at 9.30 am Indian time.

Instead due to a mix-up at his work place as regards his leave application, he is still at work, filling petrol.

Only, Mohan Kumar was so sure he was getting leave that he went ahead and set up all the arrangements for the wedding in India this morning, expecting to make it there just in time.

Instead families of both the husband and wife-to-be and relatives from all over India who turned up this morning in Kochi for the nuptials were left stranded.

Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Mohan Kumar said: “It has been my dream to get married and I met Manu Priya, about a year ago. We have been talking to each and other and both the families agreed for the marriage on January 30, 2012. I was supposed to travel to Kochi Airport and my motorbike was ready at the airport to reach the marriage venue at Alappuzha. The venue is located about 60km away in the Uduppi Krishna temple in Alappuza,” he said.

Even though he was willing to resign his job and attend the marriage, his managers did not release his passport.

Manu Priya too resigned her job at the ICICI Bank and was eagerly waiting for the marriage.

“I applied for leave well in advance, but the company managers did not approve it on time. I had approached the Indian Embassy in Muscat for help, but now my leave application is forwarded to the Oman Ministry of Labour,” he said.

“I have spoken to my wife-to-be and she has agreed to have the marriage five days after I land in India. Their family had bought everything including gold ornaments and new sarees for the marriage,” a disappointed bridegroom, revealed to Emirates 24|7.

 “We are settled in Coimbatore Tamil Nadu and my family members travelled to Kerala because the bride’s family is based there,” he said. Now even if I have to resign this job, I will get married to the same girl,” he told Emirates 24|7
Says Shinoj K Shamsudeen, social worker and journalist from ‘Gulf Madhyamam’, a leading Malayalam Daily published form Muscat and other Gulf countries: “It is unfortunate that employers are not relieving employees for such crucial occasion. He had applied for leave with his marriage invitation a few weeks ago. Such incidents are unfortunate.”

Emirates 24|7 could not contact his employer for a comment, but social workers said the company is reconsidering its earlier decision. Some of the employees on leave have to return and Mohan Kumar is one of a two-member team running the station which is in a remote area.

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