Bride turns tradition on its head in Bihar
Villagers were surprised to see Rai riding on horse-driven chariot in wedding procession
Atypical Indian wedding is about the groom leading a wedding procession to the house of the bride, but the opposite happened in Patna, the capital of Bihar state, on Friday night.
Setting aside the century-old social custom, a bride rushed to the house of her would-be husband, inviting wide applause from various quarters.
The rare wedding rite took place in the state capital with many uninvited villagers being witnesses to this marriage.
Local villagers were left hugely surprised when Sneh Lata Rai, a resident of Manerr Tola in Patna district, rode a horse-driven chariot to lead a wedding procession to the house of the groom Anil Kumar Yadav. Sneha is posted as an assistant manager with Yes Bank at Chaupati in Mumbai whereas the groom is a lieutenant-commander with the Indian Navy.
Hundreds of villagers lined up along the 10-kilometre stretch between Maner and Danapur, as the bride moved on her chariot, with her two other sisters sitting on either side. Witnesses said the bride was happily received and welcomed by the groom side at the wedding venue before the marriage rituals began.
The bride has three sisters and no brother. She said they were brought up like “boys” and never discriminated against by her parents. “I can’t express my feeling in words. It was a very pleasing experience to watch the crowd lined up along the road to have a glimpse of my wedding procession,” she told the media.