Registered Marriage

I am back, not that I had gone somewhere :). Guess I have been bitten by some blogging bug, or maybe like Julie Powell ( of the Book Julie & Julia ) I enjoy writing. This bug brings me back with a new experience. Just a few hours ago I happened to witness a Hindu marriage, with fast forwarded rituals, married and gone with the wind in 30 minutes.

It so happens that I got a call from a friend of mine, that a friend of his was going to get married and that he had to sign as a witness. I never miss such excitements so I happily joined the marriage party. What I really wanted to see, was the way court marriages are conducted. So we reached the meeting point as fixed earlier, that was when I came to know that it was going to be a marriage registration, overseen by a lawyer. A payment of around three thousand provides the package of  a Hindu marriage with all the mantras, and registration of marriage too. Quite economic I would say, don’t know why people spend Lakhs on a wedding. After waiting for almost an hour, the plain clothed lawyer arrived and led our marriage party to the wedding location. Seven of us, i.e Bride & groom, two witness, two friends and the lawyer in lead, walked into an old building which seemed all set to crumble down any day. The interior seemed like a garage of some sort or the set of some south Indian film picturing the villain’s lair. Praying that no one jumps out from behind those huge machine parts, we moved ahead. It was a hub of tax consultants, lawyers, distributors…hardly expected at such a location. The marriage was to be conducted in an office at the fourth floor, so we decided to take the lift, only to find from a store owner that the “lift was on lunch break”, meaning to say the lift man was on break and we had to take the stairs. Sweating and panting we reached the office.

Begins the initial procedure, checking of documents which includes those of the witnesses too. Sticking photographs of the bride and groom on around four set of papers, scratching of pen on paper etc.. The pandit took ownership of all the things, garlands, ghee, mangalsutra, sweet etc. Orders issued to the groom to get rid of any thing made of leather. Mantras started flowing mixed with instructions. In a fraction of few seconds, the bride and groom exchanged the garlands, putting mangalsutra and sindoor came next. Then began the pheras around a makeshift Havan kundh and a stone (for Asmaarohana– mounting the stone). The wedding was finalized legally with the signature of the newly wedded couple, and that of the witnesses. This was by far the fastest Hindu marriage I have attended. It was fun and an eyeopener too. India is a diverse country with huge diversities in weddings, but why do people tend to spend a fortune when things can be done with so much simplicity. I guess it is the pompous nature of ours that persuades us to be so showy. Hoping that some day economic weddings shall come into fashion, this is all from my end, my views from my Satrangee Parachute.