M A I N   N E W S

Tying nuptial knot in four religious ways
Monica Sharma

Panchkula, July 21
Amidst cheers, a Panchkula couple today tied the nuptial knot in four different ways. As relatives and friends stood up to applaud, the bride and the groom promised to live together, for better, or for worse, according to Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian rites.

No, the intention was not just to get their names into the Limca Book of World Records, though their representative was there. Guinness Book? Well, they were informed about the event, but that was “not the real objective”. Neither was it the desire to do something different that encouraged them to walk up to the altar in public gaze.

The intention, groom Ajay Kwatra explained, was to spread the message of love, harmony, peace and brotherhood in a “unique” way. “Publicity was the last thing on our minds. The members of the press were invited just to convey the message”.

It all started at about 12 noon. The bride, in a glittering maroon lehnga with zardosi work, walked down the wedding hall in Sector 10. The husband was wearing a cream suit for the “Jai Mala” ceremony.

Soon after applying the sindoor, the two went to the changing room while the video played back the “lawan-phere” ceremony held the previous night to honour the auspicious hour of marriage.

Within minutes, the two reappeared for the Nikaah. This time, the bride was wearing a red parallel suit, while the groom was clad in an off-white sherwani, matching cap and a red stroll. Kwatra sat facing the sheet, while the bride said “kabool hai” from the other side.

The “boy” came back in a pink “dastar”, while the “girl” covered her head for taking four rounds of the Guru Granth Sahib during the Anand Karaj. Later, Manisha appeared in an immaculate white wedding gown and a bonnet before exchanging the rings during the Christian wedding ceremony.

Giving details, fashion photographer Kwatra — who shot to fame with today’s ceremony — said: “People do get married in the air, even underwater, but mostly for publicity. I also wanted to do something different but not without a valid justification. So, I chose the sacred medium of marriage to convey the message”.

But how did the idea occur? Was it through a Bollywood blockbuster? “It came naturally to me,” Kwatra maintained. Was there any resistance? “No, no resistance, only hesitation. Somehow, they could not understand. Even the pandits and the maulvis I talked to looked puzzled. But I was finally able to convince them,” he claimed.

Agreeing with him, father, Dr Prem Kwatra, asserted “You see, I have always believed in one religion — that of humanity. Guess my son picked it up from me”. The groom’s mother-in-law Nirmal Bhardawaj added, “Initially the idea did not sound great, but later on I thought that it was a good gesture. It, however, took some time for my husband to come to terms with it”.

For bride Manisha, there was no hesitation. “It did sound strange, but the idea of getting married in accordance with the rites of different religions and wearing all the dresses was exciting”.

Performing the ceremony, Pandit Data Ram said the boy had set an example in itself. Gurdwara Patthi Balbir Singh and Father G. Samuel of Faith Baptist Church expressed the hope that “more people would follow their example”. Maulvi Mohammed Umar, however, did not comment on the issue.

In Panchkula all the way from Brindaban to bless the newly wed, Swami Shyamanand asserted, “In this world of hatred where brothers are fighting among themselves over the mandir and masjid issue, it is the masses and not the politicians who will eventually make a difference”.