WHAT began with an unexpected marriage proposal and a shared faith has grown into 66 years of love and friendship, making Dr Narayan Nair and Ganga Bai Nair’s story one of enduring devotion.
Narayan Nair,90, and loving wife Ganga Bai Nair,89, say a lasting marriage is built on putting God first, growing into friendship and choosing forgiveness every day.
For 66 years, the couple has shared a marriage rooted in faith.
Their journey began not with romance, but with a quiet trust that God would lead them together.
Today, after raising five children, welcoming nine grandchildren and several great-grandchildren, and serving alongside one another in Christian ministry across Fiji and the South Pacific, the couple say the greatest blessing of their marriage is not what they built, but the lives they have seen transformed.
A love story neither expected
Both born and raised in Lautoka, the couple first met at Gospel Chapel.
At the time, Mr Nair was working as an apprentice in a pharmacy while Mrs Nair was helping at home with household responsibilities.
They courted for two years, but their relationship unfolded in an unexpected way.
Mrs Nair’s parents had hoped she would marry a well-known man who was not a Christian.
“But because she belonged to the Lord, she believed she should marry a Christian man. She asked us to pray that God would bring her the husband He had chosen for her,” Mr Nair said.
“One day I came home from work and found her sitting with her mother. Her mother suddenly asked me, “Do you want to marry my daughter?”
“The truth is that I had never planned to marry her. I knew her, but I had no romantic feelings for her, and I was planning to go overseas.
Mrs Nair was equally honest at the time too.
“I don’t love him. If God gives me love for him, I will marry him,” she told both their mothers.
She later said before she had even reached home, she believed God had already answered that prayer.
Not long afterwards, she visited the pharmacy where Mr Nair worked and told him simply that if he wanted to marry her, she would marry him.
“That is really where our story began,” Mr Nair said.
Sacrifices and unexpected memories
Their wedding day remains memorable, although not entirely for joyful reasons.
Mr Nair recalls deeply missing his grandfather and mother, who chose not to attend because they did not want to be part of a Christian wedding ceremony.
“I missed them very much,” he said.
There was, however, one lighter moment that has become part of family folklore.
“When we left for our honeymoon, my best man accidentally left all my clothes at home. I only had the one set of clothes I was wearing,” he said.
Another treasured memory came during the early years of marriage while they were living and working in the cool hills of Nadarivatu.
Mrs Nair wanted to experience walking through the clouds, so the couple set off together.
When they returned, Mr Nair developed pneumonia and was admitted to hospital.
Even that difficult experience has become one of the memories they cherish most.
Among their happiest moments was being baptised together on the same day, a milestone they say they will never forget.
Friendship that grew stronger with time
Ask the couple the secret to 66 years of marriage and the answer comes without hesitation.
“There are really two secrets,” the couple said.
“The first is that there has always been a third person in our marriage, and that person is Jesus Christ. He has been at the centre of everything.
“The second is that although we loved one another deeply, our love gradually grew into something even richer, it became friendship.”
That friendship, he said, has carried them through disagreements and challenges.
“Friends can disagree, argue and still remain friends. We have had many disagreements over the years, but by the end of the day we always make peace because we are friends,” the couple said.
The couple acknowledge they have different personalities.
“My wife sees things very clearly, either black or white. I tend to see the grey in situations,” Mr Nair said.
“Over the years it has taught us to understand one another better and to appreciate each other’s strengths.”
Mrs Nair’s unwavering commitment to family remains among the qualities her husband admires most.
“Above all, I admire her prayer life. Prayer has always been such a large part of who she is,” he said.
Prayer through every season
The couple say prayer has shaped every chapter of their marriage.
Whether facing hardship or celebrating blessings, they have always turned to God together.
“Every evening, for all these years, we have read the Bible together and prayed together,” they said.
“In the mornings we each have our own personal devotions, but every night we come together before the Lord.”
He credits much of the ministry they have shared to his wife’s quiet faithfulness.
“My wife is a true prayer warrior. She spends long hours in prayer. Much of the ministry God has entrusted to me has been built upon her faithful prayers,” Mr Nair said.
Their greatest challenge came through ministry itself.
Mr Nair often travelled overseas for months at a time while Mrs Nair remained at home, caring for their children and carrying the responsibilities of family life alone.
“Being separated so often was one of the hardest parts of our married life,” he said.
Building a legacy together
The property they call home holds some of their most treasured memories.
It was there they raised their children, hosted their first Bible study and watched a ministry grow far beyond anything they imagined.
From that beginning came Ambassadors for Christ (South Pacific), followed by the College of Theology and Evangelism, Christian Helps, church planting ministries, the Vocational Training Centre, the Gospel Retreat Centre, the Kindergarten and many other ministries.
Looking back, however, the couple measure success differently.
“When we look back, it is not the buildings or the organisations that make us thankful, but seeing lives transformed by the Gospel,” Mr Nair said.
“Whatever has been accomplished has not been because of us. It has all been the Lord’s work. We simply thank Him that He was pleased to use us together in His service.”
A message for future generations
The couple hope their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren remember them not simply as husband and wife, but as lifelong friends whose faith guided every decision.
“We hope they remember that we were not only husband and wife, but we were also good friends,” they said.
“We hope they remember that we loved them deeply.
“But above all, we pray they remember that everything we ever desired for them was that they would come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their own personal Saviour.”
Their advice to newly married couples are simple.
“Love one another deeply,” they said.
“But don’t stop there.
“Allow your love to grow into genuine friendship.
“Friends may disagree, but they make peace again. Friends don’t keep records of each other’s faults.”
Mr Nair believes patience and forgiveness are essential because no marriage is free from mistakes.
“We are all human beings, and human beings make mistakes.
“Because of that we must continually forgive one another and seek to understand one another.”
For the couple, success has never been measured by achievements or recognition.
“A successful life is a life that knows the Lord Jesus Christ and walks with Him,” they said.
“Anything worthwhile that has happened in our marriage, our family, our ministry or our lives has only happened because of Him.
“Everything good has come from Him. Our prayer has always been that our lives would bring glory to Him, for He alone is worthy.”
The couple with graduates. Picture: SUPPLIED
For 66 years, the Nairs has shared a marriage rooted in faith. Picture: SUPPLIED
Mrs Nair’s unwavering commitment to family remains among the qualities her husband admires most. Picture: SUPPLIED
The couple hope their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren remember them not simply as husband and wife, but as lifelong friends. Picture: SUPPLIED
Mr Nair credits much of the ministry they have shared to his wife’s quiet faithfulness.
Picture: SUPPLIED
