Sangeeta Pranvendra
Jaipur
Lockdown in times of Coronavirus has necessitated several lifestyle changes and online weddings are apparently one of them. A groom from Rajasthan and bride from Maharashtra entered into a wedlock through live streaming. The bride is an actress in Marathi serials and the groom is a documentary filmmaker. All functions like Ganesh Sthapna, mehandi, haldi and sangeet were held through live streaming, however, some of the rituals like tying of mangalsutra, sindoor daan and saptapadi would be held after the lockdown lifts.
Saurav Jain from Chittorgarh of Rajasthan and Shraddha Kothari of Aurangabad in Maharashtra had been in a relationship for over six years, but Shraddha’s family was not agreeable to the alliance, despite belonging to the same community. “They wanted their daughter to get married close to their hometown and not so faraway,” said Saurav. But the couple managed to convince the family and a wedding was scheduled for May 15. But fate had other things in store and the country was under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Situations worsened as a wedding date and Nimbaheda, where Saurabh was with his family turned into a hotspot.
The groom was not willing to take any chances when the families considered postponing the wedding and suggested an online wedding. “I was not willing to take a chance. There was a possibility that some members of her family could reconsider their approval for the marriage and so I opted for an online wedding,” said Saurav.
A wedding would be organised in Udaipur once the lockdown is lifted. Meanwhile. Saurav’s family had decided to donate part of the money that they had planned to spend on the wedding for a social cause in the time of the pandemic.
