Suzan Rodrigues and her actor husband Espirito Santo Fernandes have been together for over three years and through the power of sign language, since Suzan cannot hear or speak, prove that love is one of the strongest bonds there is.
I feel it was befitting that I found my match in a 'silent lady' as my better half with the nickname that I have as the ‘Charlie Chaplin of Goa' for my comic silent portrayals as an artiste. I may have blindly accepted this match as there was no one to look after Suzan. To this day, I have absolutely no regrets to this decision.
She may be unable to speak or hear, but perhaps my fascination for silent acting through expressions and gesticulations found me drawn towards her, and I love her more each day as we communicate through sign language. We were married on May 13, 2012.
Since the day of our marriage, I have been very content with our relationship. She loves me a lot and in all these years, we have never really quarrelled, may be at best a small misunderstanding that barely lasted two to three minutes. She is a very talented cook, very creative in catering to wedding orders and in making artificial flowers as well. We have even been featured together in a music video called 'Nokre.’ People say I am lucky and God will bless me.
Espirito Santo Fernandes
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I had an inkling I would get married, when in my early 20s at a retreat, a priest told me that I will enter into holy matrimony. A decade odd later, when I met the priest Fr Salvador again, I introduced him to my husband. My husband has given me complete freedom. I accompany wherever he goes and he has given me the liberty to wear what I please and not to fuss over my hair-style. When my husband is not at home, not knowing how to write, I use emoticons on WhatsApp to communicate with him. If I need something from the outside, I take a picture of it and send it to him. I simply love my husband a lot.
(Suzan Rodrigues spoke using sign language and with her husband, as mediator)
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Agostinho Fernandes is a very gifted music teacher, who unfortunately cannot use his lower limbs, but through the power of social media, found Linette who treats him not different and who fought to love him
It was somewhere in mid-October 2014 that I sent Linette a friend request on facebook. We had only two mutual friends. Our relationship grew from that friend request, which she immediately accepted. I met her for the first time at my musical show at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao on December 7 in 2014. Until that day, we only used to chat on Facebook. When we first met, I opened up to her asking her whether she liked me or not. While she replied in the affirmative, despite knowing my physical limitations, she did not accept my proposal but took her time. She then began to come over to my place to learn the keyboard and in time our relationship grew and blossomed into true love. It was only sometime in April 2015, when we went on a date, that I put forth my proposal again and she gave her consent. We got married on September 20 last year despite her parents being hesitant, but as time moved forth, they began to accept our relationship. I am very happy to find my partner in her, a woman who is simple and kind in nature. I believe our relationship is a miracle and through the Word of God.
Agostinho Fernandes
I found Agostinho to be a very good, hard-working person. Despite his physical handicap, he had all the qualities that an able man would have. When we first met, with his unexpected proposal, I was confused if my feelings for him had as much depth. Twelve days from our first meet, he came over to my place for my birthday. And then few days later, he came again on Christmas for a visit. Our love thereon began to blossom. I began to realize he was the one for me. Initially, my parents did not agree on having him as the man in my life as he could not walk, but later they became happy as we got along well. There were detractors to our marriage with people advising me against it as they had they believed that my children borne to him will be handicapped too. But I kept quiet. Unlike most husbands, he helps me in my household chores like sweeping, mopping the floors. I may be a homemaker now, and for now he has told me not to go out to work as I would wish to.
Linette Cardozo
(As told to Basil Sylvester Pinto)
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Jyotsna Uchil never let a limp come between her and life, so it was only natural that she would choose to marry someone who echoed those thoughts. Enter Ravindranath, who has cherished Jyotsna and walked beside her through life
I was born premature and hence was a weak baby. I started walking only at the age of seven but even so one leg was weak and left me with a limp. Because of this my parents were always worried about my marriage. I however didn't want to get married because I was always worried that I would be a burden to someone else.
But things changed when Ravindranath came into my life by means of a proposal. While I was living in Mumbai, Ravindranath, who is originally from Mangalore was working in Goa. So he requested that I send across a photograph of myself. After he received this, he said that he was ready to marry me. He didn't even want to meet me in person before making the decision. His parents however, insisted that a meeting be arranged so along with a few relatives I came down to meet his family. After meeting me, his parents weren't very much in favour of the marriage. In fact his dad asked him why he wanted to marry me, when he could get any other girl? But his mind was made up. He told them, “If I get married then I will marry only her, no one else!”
Although my aunt kept telling me that he was a nice person and would take good care of me, I was a little hesitant about the proposal at first. I felt that while he stated that he was happy now, he might find me a burden later on. But things worked out and we got married in three months time in Bangalore. As my dad was bedridden, my parents could not attend our wedding, but when we visited them after the wedding, my father was so happy that he touched my husband's feet and thanked him.
Also, owning to the slight hesitancy on the part of my in-laws, my husband told them that he would never send me to their house alone. So, ever since then, whenever I go to my in-laws place, he never sends me alone, he always comes with me. Also, he makes sure that I am never upset. He told me, "I promised your father that I will always keep you happy.” Even when I am ill, the poor fellow stay up whole night and till today we have never fought. We have been blessed with one beautiful daughter who is now a media professional in Mumbai and holds a good post. He helps me out with everything and despite my limp insists on taking me everywhere.Although I am usually a little hesitant to go out all the time because of the trouble this puts on others, both he and my daughter always insist that I come out with them. In fact last year, the three of us went on a holiday to Shimla which involved climbing up mountains. But both of them were very careful in helping me climb down. We completed 26 years of married life a few days ago and all I can say is that my husband is truly a gem of a person and it makes me happy today when I hear my daughter say that she doesn't care about money, but she too wants a husband just like her father who is so caring.
Jyotsna Uchil
(As told to Christine Machado)
