Sustainable love and lasting memories: Janak Palta McGilligan’s 37th wedding anniversary celebration of life, love, and purpose

The winter sun leaned softly over Giridarshan, the quiet home in Sanawadiya where memories breathed in the rustling leaves and the warm scent of earth. On November 27, 2025, the house glowed with a gentleness that only love could summon. It was the thirty-seventh wedding anniversary of Janak Palta McGilligan, a day many believed a widow should pass silently—almost invisibly.
But Janak was a woman who lived not by silence, but by purpose.
Not by absence, but by light.
People began arriving early—students, teachers, artists, scholars, volunteers—drawn to her presence as naturally as birds to morning sun. The workshop title was “Sustainable Marriage,” but everyone sensed that its true message was woven into Janak’s life itself.
The gathering began with the resonant call of a conch, blown by young Jeevansh Batra. The sound rolled through Giridarshan like a sacred echo, awakening memories and hope in equal measure. Then Janak stepped forward, wearing the same wedding sari she had worn thirty-seven years ago, a sari whose soft threads held time, tenderness, and testimony.
She offered a Baha’i prayer—calm, steady, unwavering.
In her voice lived both remembrance and renewal.
Classical singer Kalapini Komkali stood beside her, honored with a living plant instead of a bouquet—Janak’s subtle, constant reminder that all celebrations must nurture the earth. When Kalapini spoke about the loss of meaning in extravagant weddings, Janak’s eyes glowed with familiar conviction.
Then Janak addressed the gathering.
“With the grace of God,” she said, “I am blessed to have you all with me today on Jimmy and my thirty-seventh anniversary. Our physical life together lasted only twenty-three years… but the spiritual bond of marriage continues.”
No tremor.
No hesitation.
Just truth.
She spoke of how society still expected widows to fade: to abandon color, ornaments, celebrations—even their own presence at joyful gatherings. But she and Jimmy had lived their marriage through the Baha’i understanding that the soul is the true reality, and that husband and wife are two equal wings of one bird, meant to rise through unity.
She recalled how, during her own wedding, the two widowed aunts who were traditionally sidelined were the first she encouraged to place haldi on her hands. Even as a young bride, she had insisted that dignity belonged to every woman.
Then she touched her sari gently.
“I have worn this same wedding sari every year. Why create waste? Why replace what the heart has made sacred?”
The courtyard breathed with her words.
The workshop unfolded with stories—families inspired by her to hold sustainable weddings using metal utensils, reusable decorations, seed-filled gifts, plastic-free arrangements, and menus designed to prevent food waste. Some couples even replaced material gifts with pledges for organ and eye donation, turning personal joy into social contribution.
Yet no matter who spoke, the soul of the gathering remained Janak.
A woman who had lost her partner but never her purpose.
A woman who continued to celebrate love as a living force, not a memory.
As the sun softened into evening light, the workshop approached its close.
The day settled into a warm, reflective glow as those gathered felt the depth of Janak’s message. Among them were students from St. Paul’s Institute of Management, Maharani Laxmi Bai Girls College, and Shri Vaishnav Institute of Management, joined by faculty members Dr. Prerna Thakur, Dr. Kshama Paithankar, and Dr. Vidhi Paryani, who appreciated the clarity and courage in Janak’s vision of sustainable marriage. Volunteers Nilesh Chohan, Parduman, Ansh Dhakad, Tuhina Jha, Dr. Tanvi Jha and her mother supported every part of the event, while guests Prof. Rajeev Sangal, Nisha Sangal, Bharti Batra, Nirankari, and Gopal Tilota added warmth with their presence. Inspiring examples were shared—the eco-conscious wedding hosted by the family of cardiologist Dr. Bharat Rawat; the completely zero-waste celebration of Dr. Maya and Uday Ingle’s daughter Isha, guided by Janak; and the minimal, deeply meaningful wedding of Dr. Vaibhav Jain and Dr. Yamini Jain, which led to 17 body donations and 278 eye donation pledges. As Arvind Tiwari closed the day by honoring Janak as a living example of commitment to the environment, society, and the memory of Jimmy, the gathering dissolved into quiet reverence—each person carrying home the imprint of her courage, her convictions, and the love she continued to celebrate.
 
When the courtyard finally fell silent, Janak stood beneath the neem tree where Jimmy once rested after long days of work. The breeze touched her gently, lifting the edge of the wedding sari that had accompanied her across decades.
She closed her eyes, breathed in the twilight, and whispered,
“Happy anniversary, Jimmy.”
The leaves rustled softly in reply.
And in that tender moment, the world felt full—
with love that does not end,
with lives that continue to inspire,
and with a woman who walks her path
gently, bravely, sustainably,
and eternally..