Udaipur : Coronavirus lockdowns and travel restrictions have forced people around the world to delay their nuptials but this couple from two states , 650 kilometers away from each other, were too desperate to get married that they took the virtual way. Saurav Jain son of Sushil Jain, the groom from Adarsh colony in Nimbahera town of Chittorgarh and the bride Shraddha daughter of Heeralal Kothari from Aurangabad, Maharashtra entered into wedlock on Friday through live streaming. A pandit in Aurangabad read aloud the mantra from his home while the bride and groom, in their respective homes with parents and close relatives connected through call conferencing performed the marriage rituals. A day before wedding, other programs like Ganapati Sthapana, Mehandi, Haldi and Ladies sangeet too were performed this way.
” Ours is a love marriage and we were engaged in November last year. We have been in a relationship for 6-7 years and inspite of being from the same caste, Shraddha’s family was a bit hesitant in accepting our union because of the distance between our cities, they wanted her to settle in Maharashtra only” Saurav told Udaipur Kiran. They managed to convince their families and the wedding was decided for May 15 at Nimbahera however, the lockdown turned a spoilsport. ” We though everything would be normal maybe within a month and hence did not cancel the bookings but as Nimbahera too turned into a hotspot, our families suggested to postpone the wedding” he said. The couple feared that the delay in marriage could cause complications further if any of the elders in the family changed their mind and reconsider the alliance and hence to avoid such a situation, it was Saurav who suggested the online wedding idea which was agreed on after initial reservations.
The families have accepted the virtual wedding as a real one. ” The pandit solemnized the wedding as per the vedic rituals. Few things missed out like Jaimala, Mangalsutra , Sindoor bharai and Saptapadi (Pheras) would be performed later on in our reception which we plan to organise in Udaipur soon after the lockdown is lifted” Saurav said. The groom owns a production house and makes documentaries and short films while the bride is an actress working in serials aired on Marathi channels. Meanwhile, Saurav’s father Sushil has pledged to donate a percentage of the amount for social cause, which he had planned to spend on the wedding.