Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Live
Finally, wedding nightmare to end for some mares
Ajubilant bridegroom gallantly entering the wedding venue on a decked up white ghodi (mare) is a common sight at Delhi weddings. While this has been a part of the age-old wedding tradition in many regions of India, it’s hard for the poor mare. Even as people soak up all the merriment, the hapless animals are often kept hungry and thirsty for hours, and they sometimes come back injured. Moved by their plight, several men in the Capital say that they’ll shun this cruelty.
In July this year, the NGO People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) complained to Delhi Police about mares being wounded after being hired for weddings in the Capital. The police seized the horses. Earlier, in June, PETA requested couples to go for horse-free weddings and circulated a pledge for couples to sign. The publicity is making an impact on bridegrooms.
This wedding season, many men are opting for vintage cars rather than horses when they take the baraat to the bride’s place. “I’m totally against riding horses and making them endure the torture they usually suffer at weddings. I prefer coming in a vintage car, which also has more horsepower,” says Delhi-based lawyer Ankit Sibbal, who’s getting married in December this year.
For Abhimanyu Harlalka, management professional from Gurugram, riding a mare at one’s wedding is “all a fanfare, which for me is unnecessary”. He states, “I’m an animal lover and won’t be riding on a ghodi for my wedding in January.” Also, Abhinav Verma, an HR professional who’s tying the knot this December in Delhi, has ditched the idea. “I won’t not be riding a horse,” he says. “My parents were sceptical of this earlier, but now they’re happy that we aren’t hurting any animals at the wedding.”
Kartik Adlakha, who wed this year, says, “I volunteer for animals, so I knew the torture animals go through at these weddings. I wanted to avoid it.”
Celebrities who’ve had horse-free weddings recently, includes Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi; Sagarika Ghatge and Zaheer Khan; and Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja.