Five Indian marriages that broke away from tradition

A marriage ceremony in India is quite unlike anywhere else, with elaborate rituals featuring on the bride and groom’s happy day. However, over the years, the ceremony has adapted to reflect choices and preferences of modern couples, and the times they live in.

Here are five marriage ceremonies where couples and families rejected the traditional to make room for the non-traditional.

An environmental friendly wedding

The Logical Indian reports the story of Ruchi and Shravan Kumar, who got married in Bihar’s Darbhanga district. Instead of making an entrance in a fancy car during his baarat, the groom drove out in an e-rickshaw to create awareness about using public transport and reducing the carbon footprint.

To add, the e-rickshaw was driven by Shravan’s sister, to highlight women empowerment, the report said. The ceremony was also plastic-free. The couple planted saplings, and presented their guests with plants.

Also read: This businessman from Surat married off 251 poor girls, gave Rs 5 lakh to each bride

No kanyadaan for this bride

In another wedding ceremony that went viral, female priests were seen performing the ceremony, reports India Today. However, this wasn’t the only highlight. When it was time for the kanyadaan, an old Indian ritual where a bride’s father 'gives her away' to the groom, the bride’s father refused to perform it.

According to the report, he explained that daughters are not property to give away. This non-traditional decision was applauded across the internet as people connected strongly with his views.

Also read: This couple conducted blood donation camp on their wedding, 35 people participated

No names asked

A couple in Pune took a different approach and got married without revealing their surnames, or following any wedding rituals, The Logical Indian reports.

Sachin Asha Subash and Sharvari Surekha Arun, who got married on Republic Day, decided to take their vows based on tenants of the Indian Constitution. In short, the couple tied the knot over seven principles like equality, development, conscience and hard work as well as mutual respect, the report noted.

Also read: Ambition vs marriage: why does society consider a successful woman to be an unsuitable bride?

No gifts for this Assamese couple

Bhupen Rabha and Babita Boro from Assam got married on February 1. The wedding was unique in that the invitation card read, ‘Service to Mankind’ and the couple asked their guests to bring old clothes and books as wedding gifts.

The clothes were given to the needy and the books were donated to create an open library. The guests, in return, were given saplings of deodar cedar, reports CNBC 18.

Benagli bride says, you can never repay your parent’s debt

Recently, the video of a Bengali bride refusing to perform a ritual called kanakanjali went viral. For the ritual, the bride throws handfuls of rice towards her parents, signifying that as she leaves their home, she has repaid her parents’ debt.

But the bride refused to do so, as she said, “You can never repay your parent’s debts.” The video took the internet by a storm, as it was shared by over 72,000 people and viewed by 3.1 million people, reports the Indian Express.

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