With a green wedding reception, #DeepVeer show how to kick plastic

#DeepVeer - actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh - have captured India's imagination with their love story that culminated in a fairytale wedding at Lake Como in Italy. Be it the secrecy surrounding the event, the regal costumes, or the groom's antics, social media has been going gaga every time a photograph of the newlywed power couple is released.

The actors tied the knot on November 14 and 15 with close family and friends in attendance. The first wedding was as per Konkani rituals, while the second followed Sindhi traditions. On Wednesday, the duo was seen at their first wedding reception in Bengaluru, Deepika's hometown.

The celebrity event, though, grabbed the spotlight for more than just the couple's royal outfits. Turns out, it was a “green” event - one that took the environment into consideration.

That means no plastic. All the tableware used at the reception was biodegradable.

In a press release, Bengaluru-based Yash Papers confirmed the news. Vice-Chairman and Strategy Head for Yash Papers Ved Krishna said,

“The tableware (provided by Chuk, a subsidiary of the company) is made from sugarcane fibre, which gets decomposed within 60 to 90 days after disposal. Plastic and Styrofoam plates take more than 500 years to decompose.”

Swati Agarwal, communications head of the Uttar Pradesh-based company, hoped the initiative would inspire many others across the country. "They are leading the change and using their influence in the right space. In India, we have over 10 million weddings a year. Imagine if all these weddings were made green; it would really dent the pile of single-use plastic," she told the Deccan Herald.

As with the wedding, there seemed to be a tightly enforced embargo on wedding guests sharing any information and photos about the reception, Bangalore Mirror said.

Also read: Meet Anna Chandy, the woman who helped Deepika Padukone come out of depression

The couple returned to India from Italy on Saturday and are expected to host two wedding receptions in Mumbai as well, The Hindustan Times said.

The brides and grooms may be wearing different colours, but the green touch seems to be present at all celebrity weddings. Before Ranveer and Deepika, actor Sonam Kapoor and businessman Anand Ahuja sent out e-invites for their wedding, and Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli and actor Anushka Sharma sent out a sapling with their wedding invite.

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