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ShareThe London resident was accompanied by baaratis in decorated rickshaws in Punjab
CHANDIGARH: It surely turned out to be a wedding with a difference, for instead of Limousines or Mercedes, which NRIs usually use on wedding occasions, Pawan, an NRI groom from London, chose a pony cart to go to the bride's place.
And more than 70 NRI baratis saddled themselves on decked-up rickshaws to accompany the groom from the three-star Mountview Hotel to the gurudwara in nearby sector 11.
The bride's family welcomed the baraat by showering rose petals on a stretch of about 1km. And of course there were traffic jams on the way as people quizzed wondering if it was a mock wedding.
"We wanted to lend a classical and cultural touch to the wedding," said Murli Vohra, father of the groom, adding that many of groom's friends had come to Punjab for the first time.
Who floated the idea?"It's my wife. Settled in London for decades, coming to Punjab means a lot to us. Rather than Limos or Mercs that represent the West, we wanted to do something traditional," he said.
Earlier, he said, they had planned bullock carts for the purpose. But they were not available in adequate number, so the groom's party landed on rickshaws.
Traditional indeed, but how did the bride's party like the idea? "It was a complete surprise for us but a happy one," said the elated girl's father, Rohit Gupta, a businessman from Ambala. "We kept asking them if we should arrange vehicles or something, but they said they would manage on their own. But yes, we were not ready for this," he added.
The groom's party, dressed in pink turbans and women in elaborate Anarkali suits, enjoyed the rickshaw ride. "It was a 'family stunt' that we thoroughly enjoyed. I wonder if the girl's party was having second thoughts about the wedding when they saw us landing in rickshaws," said Sunil Mehan, the groom's cousin.
b_ajay@dnaindia.net
