A Twitter user, Asmita Ghosh, shared details of a wedding she was attending and it has since then been going viral for its progressive stand.
The wedding was conducted by female pandits based in Kolkata, who, while introducing the bride, first took the name of the mother and then the father.
A significant gesture ringing in 2019 right, considering in the structure of a family the mother figure is usually seen as secondary to the father figure or the patriarch.
I’m at a wedding with female pandits. They introduce the bride as the daughter of <mother’s name> and <father’s name> (mom first!!!). The bride’s dad gave a speech saying he wasn’t doing kanyadaan because his daughter wasn’t property to give away. 🔥🔥🔥 I’m so impressed. pic.twitter.com/JXqHdbap9D
— Asmita (@asmitaghosh18) February 4, 2019
Furthermore, the bride’s father gave a speech as to why he won’t perform kanyadaan, explaining that his daughter is not his property to give away.
Twitterati also lauded and supported the gesture.
Good one! My brother who is very well read in the old scriptures also did not do Kanyadaan for the same reason! He won arguments with several pundits for it. Please convey support to the family. @Mohanalmal
— Aditya Shroff (@aditshroff) February 5, 2019
In which planet did this happen ? Beautiful people.
— Asheema (@Tontangbi) February 5, 2019
Who are these woke people?! Would love more context, like a general how did they pull it off thing
— Vaishali (@vaishalisvp) February 4, 2019
That’s incredible and what a brilliant thing to read first thing! Also it looks like a Bengali wedding? The headgear is so familiar! 💕
— Megha Ghosh (@MeghaGhosh) February 5, 2019
Great. Very comon in maharashtra.Even i have seen non brahamins conducting marriages/poojas in maharshtra. Even in marriage card , almost in all marriage cards mothers name come first.Also i guess, MH is 1st state to add mothers name on school certificate/documents..
— BHAVESH AMBEKAR (@bhavesh_ambekar) February 5, 2019
The tweet went viral, beyond Asmita’s expectations, and was also met with trolling. Following which, she later posted a clarification from the bride’s father’s side in response to the trolls.
The bride’s father wanted me to post this clarification regd the right wing hate: Deciding not to do kanyadaan was an ideological decision that he believed in. But it also has scriptural sanction — read about Gandharva marriages. So hopefully this shuts the trolls up . 👋🏽 pic.twitter.com/IIR3hxcZiX
— Asmita (@asmitaghosh18) February 6, 2019
The post clarifies views on Gandharv marriage in Vedic scriptures, which entails that parents need not give their consent for the wedding and that there was never any concept of Kanyadaan in Gandharv marriage.
Gandharv marriage is a voluntary union of the bride and the groom and according to the post it was quite popular in the Vedic period.
This gesture is a unique and progressive occurrence where we see rituals being molded as per the needs of time.
