Medak: Priest goes virtual to perform marriage

A Hindu couple from Medak district, whose wedding was fixed for May 3, got married with the priest going through the rituals through a video call

Medak: Planning to get married? Be prepared for the ‘new normal’ that has come to be accepted in various areas of activity, even while tying the knot.

Following the surge in Covid-19 cases, a Hindu couple from Medak district, whose wedding was fixed for May 3, got married with the priest going through the rituals through a video call.

The priest refused to attend the marriage function physically on account of the Covid-19 scare and the possibility of contracting the virus at the wedding ceremony. He performed the rituals through a video call at a tribal Tanda in Medak district.

According to Banoth Shivaram, father of the bride Manjula, a resident of Somla Tanda in Papannapet Mandal, the marriage of his daughter with Mohan, son of Patloth Harichand, a native of Bheemla Tanda in Tekmal Mandal, was fixed for May 3 at Somla Tanda. However, a day before the marriage, Shivaram said a person died due to Covid-19 at Somla Tanda which left both the families in a dilemma.

Since both the families had made all the arrangements for the marriage spending a lot of money, they approached the priest, Digambara Sharma, a native of Papannapet, seeking his advice.

The priest asked them to shift the marriage venue to the groom’s house in Bheemla Tanda, and assured them that he would solemnise the marriage through a video call with the mobile phone at the marriage venue kept close to a loudspeaker.

Residents of Bheemla Tanda, however, refused to allow the bride’s party into their village since a person had succumbed to the virus. Following the request of the bride and groom’s families, they finally agreed to allow only the family members of the bride to attend the marriage.

With both the families agreeing to the arrangement, the priest recited the hymns through a video call while a very restricted number of family members attended the ceremony.

Digambara Sharma, the chief priest of Papannapet, said he had never performed a virtual marriage ritual in the past. Stating that this was the best alternative in these times of Covid-19, he said the parents, bride and groom should opt for such marriages that will restrict the numbers.

Sharma said he enjoyed conducting the ceremony virtually though it was nowhere near the regular marriage. Groom Mohan and bride Manjula said they also enjoyed the unique ceremony.

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