A husband and wife who claim to be the world's oldest married couple have celebrated their joint birthdays - with a combined age of 211.
Karam Chand celebrated reaching 109 on the same day his wife of nearly 90 years,Kartari, turned 102. The couple celebrated their birthdays with four generations of their family at their home in Bradford, West Yorkshire, on Sunday.
They claim to be the world's oldest married couple, tying the knot 89 years ago in December 1925 after meeting in India as teenagers. Their son Paul Chand said he was proud to see his parents celebrate almost a century of married life.
He said: 'It has been a special day for my family and for us all to be able to come together like this. 'Relatives have flown in from India to be with us.'People are so impressed by my parents. They always ask me: "What do they eat? What are you feeding them and how do they stay so healthy?"
'I tell them, "If I knew that I would be eating the same thing myself!" 'Everybody asks how they keep healthy and my answer is that for the last 20 years we have given them a stress-free life.'
Mr Chand, who moved to the UK in 1965, has said in the past: 'Eat and drink what you want but in moderation. I have never held back from enjoying my life.'The retired mill worker smokes one cigarette a day before his evening meal and also drinks a tot of whiskey or brandy three to four times a week.
Mrs Chand said: 'We have always eaten good wholesome food, there's nothing artificial in our diet but things like butter, milk and fresh yoghurt are what we like. 'We know that being married for 86 years is a blessing, but equally we will be ready to go when it's time. It's all up to the will of God, but we really have lived a good life.
We just get along with each other and we are family focused, its simple really.'Mr and Mrs Chand moved to England 50 years ago with Bradford being their home for more than seven decades. The couple have eight children, 27 grandchildren and many great grandchildren.
-Dailymail reportage
