For Nidhin Chand, the wedding at Guruvayur was not a second marriage so much as the fulfilment of a promise she had carried for years.

When Scottish politician Martyn Day proposed to her in 2016, Nidhin had made her wish clear: if they were to marry, she wanted the traditional ceremony to take place at the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple in Kerala.

That wish remained unrealised for years. On Tuesday, August 18, the couple finally stood before Guruvayurappan for the traditional ceremony, bringing an almost decade-long wait to an end. The ceremony was held at the Pushpanjali Auditorium in the temple town in the presence of family members and close friends.

The couple had already married in the UK in 2016. But for Nidhin, the Kerala ceremony carried a different significance: it was the traditional wedding she had hoped to have in her home state.

A journey that began with a visa fight

Long before the wedding, Nidhin’s life in Britain had taken an unexpected turn.

A native of Pampakuda near Piravom in Ernakulam district, she moved to the UK in 2008 for higher studies. She pursued IT management and later continued with doctoral studies.

Her path crossed with Day during a period of uncertainty for thousands of international students. Changes to British immigration rules left many students facing visa-related difficulties, including Nidhin.

Instead of leaving quietly, she began raising the concerns of affected Indian students with British lawmakers and parliamentary committees.

That campaign brought her into contact with Day, who was then the MP for Linlithgow and East Falkirk. Their early interactions were connected to the student visa issue. According to Kerala media reports, they initially communicated professionally before meeting in person in 2016.

Their relationship subsequently developed beyond politics and immigration advocacy.

From proposal to family life

Day proposed to Nidhin in May 2016. Nidhin was open with him about her past, including the fact that she was divorced and had a 12-year-old son.

Day accepted both of them and introduced Nidhin and her son to his parents, Margaret and Ron Day. The family relationship grew over time, with Day’s parents becoming part of their family life.

The couple eventually married in Britain that year.

But the Guruvayur ceremony remained on their list of things to do.

Why did the Guruvayur wedding take so long?

The couple had planned to make the traditional ceremony happen earlier, but one delay followed another.

The Kerala floods, the COVID-19 pandemic and other family circumstances disrupted their plans. Kerala reports also say the couple’s immigration and family-related arrangements contributed to the prolonged wait.

Day had visited Kerala previously, including trips in 2018, 2019 and 2023, but the Guruvayur ceremony still remained pending. The August 2026 visit became his fourth trip to the state—and finally the one in which Nidhin’s long-held wish was realised.

A Scottish politician with deep links to India

Day, 55, has spent decades in public life. He entered local politics in Scotland in 1999 and subsequently became a Westminster MP representing Linlithgow and East Falkirk.

He served three terms at the UK Parliament before leaving Westminster in 2024. He later returned to elected politics as a member of the Scottish Parliament.

Day has also maintained an interest in India-related issues and currently chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group for India in the Scottish Parliament, according to recent Kerala reports.

Before politics, he worked as a retail banker and served as a local councillor.

Nidhin’s life between Kerala and Scotland

Nidhin’s story has also extended well beyond her marriage to a politician.

After moving to Britain as a student, she became involved in advocacy for Indian students during the immigration controversy. She later built her career in the UK and is now described as a management consultant based in Linlithgow. She has also remained involved in SNP political campaigning alongside Day.

Her son, Vedik Shankar, who was 12 when Nidhin met Day, has since grown up in Britain.

The Guruvayur ceremony therefore marked more than a long-awaited wedding ritual. It brought together two parts of Nidhin’s life—her years in Britain and her roots in Kerala—in the setting she had wanted from the beginning.

After nearly 10 years of waiting, the promise made in 2016 was finally kept at Guruvayur.