Unlike foreign countries, the marriages in India are not a one-on-one deal between the bride and groom. A slew of elements like the consent of the entire length and breadth of the families, economic standing, horoscope etc factor in while brokering a union. Matchmaking is a long-winding process in India and that's just the case of arranged marriages. Love marriage is a whole different league, and the process is even more painstaking.
Recently, a marriage that took place at Guruvayur Temple in Kerala made headlines, as the bride called off the "forced marriage" after spotting her boyfriend in the crowd. Soon, netizens started sharing the photos of the couple and started abusing her for ditching the groom minutes after tying the knot.
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"Did you not think about your parents who brought you up? Their curse will haunt you and your children. You will not get a peaceful death," reads one of the comments on social media.
Meanwhile, few netizens sided with the girl. "She loved someone and didn't cheat him. She might not have got a chance to elope before, may be she was locked at home, who knows? When she got the courage to react, she did.Is it a big crime? If you had clapped when actor Mukesh's character Ramabhadran married Malu (played by Kanaka) in the movie God Father, then how is this case different?" says another comment.
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The lover boy reacts
"We have been in a relationship for the past three years. Her mother was aware of our relationship, and we had tried to fend off marriage proposals. She had informed about our relationship to this guy as well and was not even responding to his calls and messages. But he told her to forget the past, and move on. I went for the wedding but then decided to go back home as I couldn't stand the sight. However, she gave the mangal sutra back to him, and that led to the clash. Now, I am just a minor and doing my third year engineering in Erode. Both our parents have agreed to conduct our marriage after studies," the 20-year-old told Narada news.
Where is the bride now?
Journalist Shahina Nafeesa said the girl is with her parents at her own home in a recent Facebook post. "The girl is with her parents at their home. It is learnt that none of their relatives supports them. And nobody knows where the girl's lover is. He might be scared. Will everyone be happy if the couple commits suicide?," Shahina wrote.
The story so far
The wedding took place on Sunday, July 30 at Guruvayoor temple in Kerala. Soon after tying the knot, the bride saw her boyfriend and whispered in the groom's ear that she is going to live with her lover. She then handed over the thaali to the groom. This led to a clash between the families. After police intervened, groom's family demanded Rs 15 lakh as compensation, and the bride's parents have agreed to pay them Rs 8 lakh instead.
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It is learnt that though the bride had informed the groom on her relationship, the latter agreed to marry allegedly for the dowry.
Groom's 'great escape': celebrations on
Soon after the wedding drama, photos of the 26-year-old groom cutting a cake apparently as part of his great escape from the "danger" (woman) started doing the rounds on Whatsapp and social media. "You enjoy man! You are lucky, at least she ditched you before starting a new life. There are many others who elope after marriage," read the comment of a social media user.
Now, another question arises
Who will take the responsibility if the couple takes the extreme step owing to societal pressure? A look at her face in the wedding photos proves how unhappy she was. Even if she had gone ahead with the wedding, society would have still criticised her for ditching the boyfriend.
