"Service Comes First": Assam Nurse Chooses Duty Over Bridal Rituals

A nurse treating COVID-19 patients in Assam's Nalbari district has attended her duties till the day preceding her wedding, and even offered to join work on her big day after the rituals are over.

Oli Barman's dedication and sincerity have attracted a lot of admiration on social media. Nalbari Deputy Commissioner Bharat Bhushan Devchoudhury also went to attend her wedding ceremony at Singimari village in the district on Monday.

"I am really encouraged seeing the dedicated service of this young girl. She is a real warrior and a hope for us in such a difficult time," Mr Devchoudhury said.

After months of preparations and loads of shopping, the coronavirus outbreak has changed all plans of Ms Barman who works in the Swahid Mukunda Kakati Civil Hospital.

"It was so uncertain that we were in doubt whether the wedding would at all take place or not. Many of our relatives suggested we postpone the ceremony, but we decided to go ahead after the lockdown norms were relaxed," she told PTI.

A nurse since 2018, Ms Barman said her duty is in the emergency section for the last two months and she could not execute any of the planned programmes for the wedding as leaves of the people in the healthcare sector got cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Ms Barman had her "mehendi" on Saturday night after the duty hours and joined the hospital on Sunday morning again.

On Sunday, the health worker attended her day shift and then went home for the "Joran", a traditional ritual where the women family members of the bridegroom gift her fineries to be worn during the wedding.

"Had my senior officer wanted me to join duty on Monday night, I would have definitely done so after the wedding rituals are over. In this situation, service to the people comes first," she said.

Ms Barman said only a few close relatives and friends were invited to the ceremony.