Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala: The opulence has been set aside, the kilograms of gold have been locked away, and the extravagance has been given a pass. This is not the big fat Indian wedding that most people aspire to but it’s one that Kerala art connoisseur Soorya Krishnamoorthy has chosen to give to his daughter.
Sita married her civil service academy batchmate Chandan Kumar, who is from Bihar on Saturday morning in Thiruvananthapuram. The low-key wedding took place in the puja room of Soorya Krishnamoorthy’s residence – Thaikkad House. Draped in red saree, Sita skipped the layers of gold that many brides in Kerala are usually decked up in, and instead wore a diamond necklace matched with a diamond tikka. The groom, who comes from a Rajput family in Vaishali district, was dressed in a matching red sherwani with a cream and gold waistcoat and a red turban.
Krishnamoorthy’s decision to conduct a simple wedding for his daughter has received appreciation, especially since he declared that he would use Rs 1.5 million – the money that he had saved for the big day to sponsor the education of 20 underprivileged students for four years.
“It was my long term wish to conduct Sita’s wedding in a simple way without any auditorium, celebrations or luxury. I was confident when my wife Raji supported me. They will get married in the small prayer room at my house,” Krishnamoorthy had stated.
He also noted, “Like any other father, I had secured some money to conduct my daughter’s wedding all these years. I would donate the amount to the institutions I studied the Model School, Government Arts College and TKM Engineering College, where they can sponsor 20 students for their education for four years.”
The wedding invitation requests guests to bless the newly-weds at his residence between May 13 and May 15. “Please do not bring any gifts rather bless them keeping both your hands at their head,” reads the invite.
Instead of the royal buffet that most guests are accustomed to at weddings, Soorya Krishnamoorthy had earlier said that he would be serving payasam and light refreshments.
The cultural activist, and founder of the Soorya film society even found a mention during the Kerala Assembly proceedings, with CPI MLA Mullakkara Ratnakaran stating that weddings should be a simple affair, much like Soorya Krishnamoorthy’s daughter’s special day.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan noted in Assembly that the state was unable to impose a luxury tax on extravagant weddings, observing that the High Court had earlier declared it unconstitutional. He also said the only way to check such weddings is to generate awareness.
Some reports suggest that people spend between Rs 3 to 3.5 million for lavish weddings. The most expensive wedding Kerala has witnessed recently was of NRI businessman Ravi Pillai’s daughter in 2015. The big fat wedding saw a budget that reportedly touched a whopping Rs 550 million.
(source: The News Minute)