Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
February 21, 2015
INTERNATIONAL LIVING
37
Woman who gave birth at 70 reveals the struggles – and joys – of being an elderly parent • Omkari Singh gave birth to her son Akashvani at the grand age of 70 • The world’s oldest mother, now 76, says she could not be happier with life • She and her husband Charan, 89, struggle to keep up with their six-year-old
World’s oldest mother, Omkari Singh, 76, with her six-year-old son
L
ooking after a six-year-old can be exhausting, even for those in the prime of their life. So spare a thought for 76-year-old for Omkari Singh - the world’s oldest mother - and her six-year-old son, Akashvani. In 2008, Mrs. Singh, from Uttar Pradesh, northern India, made headlines around the world after giving birth to twins Akashvani and Barsaat at the age of 70. The female twin, Barsaat, tragically died at the age of four, but her son is perfectly healthy. Despite receiving a barrage of criticism both online and from her local community for having children so late in life, Mrs. Singh, who is married to Charan, 89, says she could not be more happy. She said: “Many people ask me, ‘Is he your grandson?’ I tell them, ‘No. He is my son.’ “I’m very happy that I am the mother of a six-year-old son. It is an unexplainable feeling.” Like any six-year-old, Akashvani is playful and full of life, with his elderly mother occasionally struggling to keep up - especially when it comes to getting her son ready for school. She said: “I am not able to bath him properly. I have problems getting him dressed. It is hard to run around and feed him. Old age is like this.” The elderly mother hopes to be alive when her son gets married, but says she is not worried about death as her daughter Kamla, 50, will care for Akashvani if she dies
Veermati, another mother who lives in her village, said: “It’s good Omkari gave birth to a child at this age. “For me, they took a correct decision. They have love among each other, so it is good.” Already parents to two daughters and grandparents to five, the couple were desperate to have a boy - eventually succeeding when their eldest daughter Kamla was 50 years old. To pay for the IVF treatment vital to
World’s oldest parents – Mrs. Singh,76, and her husband, Charan, 89.
producing a male heir to the family’s small holdings, the Singhs sold their buffalos, mortgaged their land, spent their life savings and took out a credit card loan. Mrs. Singh said: “I thought if I will give birth to a boy, I will become like other mothers. Without a son, there was no life for me. Because, who would own this house if I had no sons?” While she adores her son, the 76-yearold knows that age is not on her side - but
hopes to live long enough to see Amritwani getting married. She said: “I am not worried. After my death, my daughter will take care of my son. “I wish my son gets married very quickly, so that my husband and I can be present at his wedding.” Until that time comes, the Singhs plan to make the most of their time with their son. (Culled from www.mailonline.com)
Angry bride marries guest after groom has epileptic seizure T
wo wedding guests were briefly detained in Northern India after the bride reportedly rejected her groom who had an epileptic seizure in favour of another guest. During one of the preliminary ceremonies of the Hindu wedding – the exchange of garlands – Jugal Kishore, 25, had an epileptic fit. Reports said he fell to the floor at the wedding venue in the northern Indian town of Rampur. Indira, his 23-year-old bride, apparently angered that she did not know about Kishore’s condition, said she would instead marry a relative of her brother-in-law who was a guest at the
wedding. The guest agreed and the garlanding ceremony continued. Reports said the marriage rituals were then completed, including a key section which involved the couple walking round a holy fire seven times. Kishore, the real groom who had been taken to a doctor, came back to find he no longer had a bride. The disagreement which followed reportedly turned violent, and police were called. A complaint was filed with the local police but was later withdrawn after elders of both families intervened. Both families amicably resolved the matter. Indira