When love is blind, literally

He had dialled a wrong number. But for Chandan Singh, a 24-year-old from Mount Abu in Rajasthan, the wrong number helped make the right connection.

Chandan Singh suffers from a congenital defect and is blind. Last year while making a call, he misjudged a digit and was connected to Bhawna who lives thousands of kilometres away in Assam. Chandan profusely apologised to the lovely voice at the other end and explained that the mistake occurred because he is blind. Bhawna not only accepted his apology, but told him she understood his problem as she herself couldn't see, either.

Eighteen months later, a courtship that largely bloomed over the phone culminated in marriage at Chandan's native place in the lone hill station of the desert state.

At their home town, they are being called the Kaabil couple, after the recent Hrithik Roshan hit film where the lead pair is blind. Speaking to DNA, Chandan said they discovered they had more things in common than just their disability. "I had been speaking to her on the telephone for close to a year when we realised we shared similar love for music," said a beaming Chandan, who learns music at the Blind School in Mt Abu and also makes a small earning by teaching children the art. Bhawna, too, is also enrolled in a blind school in Delhi where she is taking music lessons.

After a year, the two decided they wanted to spend their lives together and spoke to their families. Chandan's family was initially apprehensive as the girl was from a faraway land they had never visited. To convince his family, Chandan called Bhawna to Mt Abu from Delhi. "We were apprehensive and scared. This kind of a relationship was unheard of in our small town," said Kapoor Singh, who is Chandan Singh's brother-in-law. "We were as clueless as the couple. We called the girl's parents and they agreed to the marriage.

They are engaged in small-time farming and expressed their inability to come to Rajasthan and perform the marriage," he told DNA.

"We did not how the marriage would take place with no one to perform kanyadaan," said Surya Devi, Chandan's mother. But by then, the tale of the Kaabil couple's love had travelled beyond the village and into nearby towns.

Bhanwar Singh, a retired government employee, was the first to chip in with funds. He told the groom's family that he would marry off Bhawna as his own daughter. The enthusiasm was infectious and the news spread like wildfire. "More people offered help and contributed to the marriage. Gifts started pouring in for the ecstatic couple," his mother said.

Finally, Wednesday saw Chandan Singh reach Bhanwar Singh's doorstep with band, baaja and baraat. He was dressed in a traditional attire riding a mare. The baraat included all of his family members. Bhawna too looked lovely in bridal finery. The traditional Rajasthani wedding was attended by over 500 people who came to bless the couple.

They say love is blind. For Chandan and Bhawna it blossomed despite differences in language, culture and traditions. In spite of their disability, they could see through their hearts and bond over just their voices knowing full well they will never be able to see each other for the rest of their lives.