- Nilesh Khivansara gifted a Rs 3,000 mangalsutra for Rs 20 to an elderly couple
- The elderly couple insisted on paying despite the jeweller's offer to give it free
- The couple visited multiple stores before buying the mangalsutra at Khivansara's second branch
A Maharashtra jeweller, who gifted an approximately Rs 3,000 mangalsutra - a sacred necklace worn by married women - for just Rs 20 to a nonagenarian couple has won praise online for his heartfelt gesture.
Recalling the moment, Nilesh Khivansara, owner of Gopika Jewellers, told ANI, "They were self-respecting people. They didn't want anything for free and insisted on paying."
The elderly couple first visited his first Branch looking for jewellery, he said. They browsed for a while and left without buying. After going to three other stores over the next couple of hours, the couple came to his second branch in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, he added.
The staff mistook the 93-year-old's appearance for someone seeking financial assistance, but when he expressed his desire to purchase a mangalsutra for his wife, who was accompanying him, they handed over the 'maala' and 'vaati' (pendant) to her.
Mr Khivansara said the couple refused to take it for free and instead made a payment. "They first offered me Rs 1,100, then some loose coins. The lady also took out a few Rs 10 and Rs 20 notes from her bag. I refused to take anything, but they were adamant about paying something," he said.
Eventually, he accepted Rs 10 each from both the husband and wife as a blessing and handed over the one-gram gold-plated mangalsutra worth around Rs 3,000. "I just took Rs 20 from him as a token of blessings and handed over the mangalsutra to the couple as I was overwhelmed by their gesture," he added.
He also shared that the couple has left their home as their only son is reportedly an alcoholic. They are surviving on the streets and often rely on public goodwill.
According to reports, Nivrutti Shinde and his wife Shantabai, who come from a humble farming family in Ambhora Jahangir village in Maharashtra's Jalna district, are currently on a pilgrimage on foot to Pandharpur to celebrate Ashadhi Ekadashi.
Locals said the couple always travelled together, supporting each other at this age
