Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi

Few weddings and some Swedes

S. Aishwarya

Enlightening rituals mark teaching of Indian traditions

KNOW OUR KNOTS: UMEA University students witness Indian marriage rituals at Cauvery College in Tiruchi. — Photo: R. Ashok

TIRUCHI: "It's wedding time," the emcee announces as she gets on to stage to explain the pre-nuptial ceremonies. The wedding bells ring loud and reverberate across the auditorium packed with awe-struck Swedes.

As a part of cultural exchange programme with the students of UMEA University, Sweden, the Inner Wheel Club of Tiruchirapalli and Amity Club of the Department of Social Work, Cauvery College, enacted a variety of Indian marriages.

"It is an attempt to portray the richness of our culture to these students. It also helps them understand our society in a better way," says the president of the Inner Wheel Club, Vasundhara Ramgopal.

It all started with an enthralling performance of Odissi dance by S.P. Tinu, who depicted scenes from `Krishna Leela' and gracefully played a dual role as Krishna and his mother Yasodha.

While a part of the stage was set for a Telugu wedding, the rest of the members were gearing up for the next set of model weddings of Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

From the ceremonial welcoming of the groom to the `gruhapravesa,' the members swayed the Swedish audience with their imposing depiction of all the customary practices.

Concluding the enactment with prayers, the lead enactor explained to the visitors the logic behind the rituals: "they not just represent the richness of the culture but form a strong foundation for a resilient and lasting married life for the couple."

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