The Shashwathi Dharmika Kriya Samiti auditorium at the Srirangapatna wore a festive look on Sunday. Though there were no festivities, the occasion — wedding of a Russian couple — was no less a special one.
Forty one-year-old Alexander and his 28-year-old girlfriend Maria, who are fascinated by vedic lifestyle in the country, chose to wed in a simple Hindu traditional way. They were christened as Venkatesh Sharma and Yogeshwari.
Amid vedic chants and traditional drum beats, Alexander tied ‘mangalasutra’ to Maria at 10.30 am. They followed all the marriage rituals like gauri puja, ganapathi homa, kashiyatra etc. He put the toe ring to her and applied sindhoor to complete the ritual. A team of priests helped them perform all the marriage-related rituals.
Alexander was dressed in a red-bordered yellow ‘dhoti’, Mysore Peta and ‘basinga’, while Maria, draped in bright red saree and matching bangles, appeared every bit a Hindu traditional bride. ‘Kanyad- aan’ of Maria was performed by local residents.
Alexander rendered Sanskrit shlokas much to the amusement of the gathering. As part of the tradition, the local women there offered rice to the bride and also presented gifts to the couple.
Maria’s relatives Leena and Marina (from Russia) were present. “I’m interested in reading Vedas and at present studying Yajur Veda,” said Alexander.