Bride refuses to wed dark groom

Discrimination based on colour is not just a western phenomenon.

Guests at a wedding ceremony in Agra were shocked when the bride refused to marry the groom because he was too dark.

Relatives of the bride and the groom tried to persuade her to agree to the marriage, but she stood firm and the baraat had to return without the bride.

The incident took place in Tajganj in Agra recently.

The marriage was fixed by the girl’s grandmother as her father had died a few years back.
The groom, Rakesh Kumar, was educated and employed.

The girl had seen Kumar’s photograph and given her assent to the marriage. On Friday, Kumar arrived with the baraat at Tajganj with much fanfare. Everything went on well till the jaimala where the bride and groom garland each other.

As the groom arrived for the ceremony, she was shocked to find that the groom was ‘too dark’.

She immediately told her family that she would not marry him.

When persuasion from members of both families failed, a panchayat was convened to discuss the matter.

After hours of deliberation, the panchayat decided to respect the decision of the bride, and the groom's family was asked to return the dowry and gifts given by the bride’s family.

“It was surprising that the girl, who was also educated, refused to marry someone because of his colour,” a groom’s family member said.