Eight weeks after monsoon wedding, frogs divorced

Two months ago, two frogs were married to each other in Indrapuri near the Madhya Pradesh capital to appease the rain god Indra. Now that central state is flooded, the priests who got the amphibians hitched have gotten them divorced.

Quirky rites abound in this country to propitiate the gods for their bounty during monsoon, but a custom to reverse the rains comes as a rarity.

Following disastrous rains in the state in 24 hours from Wednesday to Thursday, the residents, whose houses and shops are flooded, decided to split up the newlyweds.

And now that the couple has been pulled apart, the people are hopeful that they would soon be out of the dire situation.

"The marriage of the frogs was conducted on July 19 for good rainfall this season. But now the state is flooding. Therefore, to please Lord Indra, the frogs were made to part ways," said a person from the Om Shakti Shiv Mandal, the body that organised the special ritual of the frogs' divorce, eight weeks after they were married according to Hindu customs.

Madhya Pradesh has seen a heavy toll due to rains, and the state government has doled out Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the 202 people who lost their lives in the deluge across the state, said an official statement on Thursday.

As many as 32 people have been injured while 9,816 houses damaged due to the excessive rainfall in the state, added the statement.

Zee Media Newsroom