A solution to keeping the commitment

May 26, 2013 News

---

 

 – a couple tells of living “in sickness and in health”

By Sharmain Grainger

Some may be of the view that a marriage is as strong as the will of the couple joined together which could lend to it not only standing the test of time, but even evolving as situations arise.
I am certainly no expert on the subject but I do hope that someday I will be able to master the art, which has evidently been championed by a Patentia, West Best Bank Demerara couple – Tajrattan and Salima Rameshwar.
Although it took a commitment to get them started, it would take divine intervention to keep them united and still enjoying a satisfying marriage more than three decades later.

They tied the knot in 1975 but their union was one that truly tested the traditional marriage vow which speaks to remaining steadfast “in sickness and in health”.
Together they have seen their share of sicknesses ranging from health complications untreatable by doctors and the very recognisable heart failure, not to mention the fact that Tajrattan was an alcoholic for a number of years.
But it was he who would years later first embrace what, they together now believe, was the required ingredient that would transform their lives and can make an immense difference in so many homes today.
It happened at a time when life was going downhill for him, so much so that even his mother couldn’t bear to see her alcoholic son wither into nothingness.  According to Tajrattan, who is well known in his home community as Jerry, it was after a night of being intoxicated that his mother would desperately urge him to make a change in his life.
“I was so drunk, but I use to think that was the best way to enjoy life. Today I know so much better…”
Better came for him in 1994 after making a decision on a quiet Saturday afternoon to change his life. His decision saw him embracing the things of God after attending a church service the next day. It wasn’t a dramatic event, he recalls, but it was rather one of the simplest things that he had ever done.
Some may not be able to relate, but Tajrattan has no doubt that this move has since had an unprecedented impact in his life to an extent that he no longer has the will to consume alcohol. He is also convinced that had it not been for that crucial step, his life could have been brought to an abrupt halt when he suffered a heart attack.
“God has done a lot for me since 1994 and I can say I have no regrets serving Him,” said Tajrattan, who is today only too eager to tell as many people as possible that his life has been safeguarded for an inspiring undertaking.
And since he is very outspoken he has no difficulty in executing his mission which is to encourage others to take the chance that he did and allow their lives to be transformed too.
“The best I can tell people is to get hold of yourself and say you are worth living for something good…Give Jesus a try and you will see the difference,” Jerry passionately insists.
To say the least, many were surprised by his transformation which seemed so sudden, but it nonetheless remained constant over the years and even turned out to be appealing to his wife.
You see, Salima was sure it was nothing but a joke when her alcoholic husband decided it was time for him to make a change and started attending church on a regular basis.
Recounting her path to embracing the transformation, Salima said that while she was invited on numerous occasions to attend church, at first she was not so inclined. But seeing a notable change in her husband’s life was certainly not insignificant, and in fact, it turned out to be rather encouraging, as she started believing that there was hope for her too, as she had been ailing from an untreatable condition for many years.
“I just remember one day my husband start going to church and then he start trying to convince me to go with him and eventually I decided to go, and you know I haven’t regretted it, and it is now nearly 19 years,” Salima calmly disclosed.
She recalled battling a condition which saw her constantly becoming dizzy and so weak that she oftentimes had to remain in bed.  In fact for three years she was confined to bed as several doctors attempted to diagnose and treat her condition.
“They kept telling me it was my nerves and were giving me all kinds of treatment,” she said.
But it wasn’t until she adhered to the beckoning of her husband that Salima was able to realise real relief from the condition that had plagued her being for several years.  It is her firm belief that, “God helped me at a point when I thought I couldn’t make it anymore…and today I know that without the grace of God even medication can’t help…”
“I am so thankful that He has been helping me because after that three years of being in bed I am back to normal and I can say I am enjoying my life now…There is no way I will be turning back,” assured Salima who is kept busy every day providing a grocery service to her community.
According to her, although life can sometimes present some very daunting situations, she and her husband have been able to find the solution, which is to channel help daily from the Supreme Being. This has been the way of life for Tajrattan and Salima who have together raised three children and are hopeful that the tradition of “serving God” will remain something from which they will not depart.
In the meantime the couple continues to be a shining example to their neighbourhood as they hold true to their marriage vow, except now they are not only embracing physical health but an absolutely healthy relationship that they anticipate will continue to stand the test of time.
Having gone through the worst of times they are confident that they are furnished with an additional serving of understanding and zest required to ensure that their “happily ever after” only ends at “till death do us part.”

 

---

---