A celestial wedding for godman’s daughter

- The pictures of marriage, with bride, groom, their parents and even priests performing donning the attire of deities and sages go viral in social media reflecting the trends that take the social events to a new level in the Godavari delta region
- Weddings in two Godavari districts have become a costly affair with drones and live streaming for NRI kin

Tanuku (West Godavari): The Godavari delta, enriched with the irrigation system fed by the perennial Godavari river is considered as a trend-setter in any economic and social sphere in Andhra Pradesh and it came in evidence with a theme wedding held here in West Godavari district on Saturday night.

The bride and groom were decorated in the costumes replicating the deities Sri Maha Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi. And, the priests too were in costumes of sages conducting the marriage as if it is held in a celestial world.

The marriage pictures went viral in the social media, reflecting the trends that take the social events to a new level in the Godavari delta region. The bride’s father happens to be a godman, running an ashramam (hermitage) at Mukkamala in the district. The pictures showed the spiritual guru and his wife with glittering crowns over their head and ornaments on their persons sitting by the side of the bride and groom, who were also wearing ornaments to look like the deities. The spiritual leader brought to life the phrase--marriages are made in heaven with his painstaking efforts.

The ‘celestial’ event brings under the spotlight the forms of wedding and its related functions and customs that became part of the life in the Godavari delta area.

Carrying the bride in a flower decorated palanquin and the groom escorted in an umbrella made of flowers of varying colours to the “pelli mandapam” seemingly has become the latest trend.

According to information, an aqua exporter in Bhimavaram was said to have printed 3,000 wedding cards, each costing Rs 150. And, each card was distributed with a gift pack containing silk sari, it is said. “Lagna Patrika” to be distributed to the parents of the groom from the bride side before the marriage is coated with gold and silver in some families.

The weddings in the twin Godavari districts become costly affairs, accompanied by floral decorations, dazzling illumination, expensive feast and video shooting with heavy gadgets like drones for live streaming on the net for NRI viewers.

Event management agencies have been mushrooming in almost all the towns in the Godavari districts and the marriage contract is awarded to the agencies item wise. Prof. D. Venkateswara Rao of YN College said emergence of neo-rich class due to money-spinning aquaculture is the cause, among others, for the weddings becoming highly expensive and lavish.

There was a wedding feast hosted with 32 sea food items on the menu by a former minister at Narsapur in West Godavari district which continued to be a talking point in the delta region for several days.

Noticeably, it was graced by then Congress chief minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy. Gold, clothes, feast and video coverage and cards with costly gifts take away a lion’s share of the wedding expenses.

Distribution of wedding cards to the invitees goes with silk sarees and gifts. The people from the region go to Kanchi in Tamil Nadu for bulk purchase of saris for the purpose. Gold is accumulated over the years ahead of marriages as an investment in line with the local traditions.