These Brides Who Left Their Grooms Moments Before the Wedding Have Redefined Girl Power in India
Gone are the days when the Indian bride was an epitome of coyness, naiviety and blind devotion. The modern Indian bride is all about spunk and knows exactly what she wants. And what if her groom isn't up to her standards? Then she has absolutely no qualms in calling the wedding off and being a runaway bride! But these runaway brides have no old feet. They have a whole lot of courage, determination and understanding of marriage and what they want from it. While some of these cases sound funny, others shocking the fact that these brides had the guts to do the once unimaginable has made them heroes!
1. The math loving bride
The most recent case that has been splashed over every newspaper, shared across social networks and basically broken the internet. The bride was in for a shock when she realised that her groom could not solve a simple maths problem. Just before the wedding, Ram Baran (the groom) from Etawah, Kanpur was asked by the bride's friends to give the answer to 15 + 6. To their shock, he replied '17' instead of '21' which led to the bride Lovely questioning his education status. Knowing that she had been lied to, Lovely called off the wedding and walked out right then. The groom's family tried to persuade her but she stayed adamant. Hats off to the girl for taking such a step and asserting herself!
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2. The bride who made her in-laws build her a toilet
The one thing common between cities and villages of India is defecating in the open. It is not just a lack of amenities but even lack of understanding and awareness that have contributed to this problem. But this Uttar Pradesh bride knew what's right for her and left her in-laws house when they asked her to defecate in the open. Both families tried to persuade her to return but she put her foot down and refused to comply. Finally, the groom's family agreed and had a toilet made with all modern amenities. Priyanka Bharti then returned to her husband's home. Her valor and courage was noticed and Sulabh International approached her and felicitated her.
AFP
3. Bride ditches epileptic groom, marries guest
This bride from Rampur, Indira, ditched her husband when she realised he was epileptic and had hidden the truth from her. Fortunately for the bride, right before the garlanding ceremony, the groom Jugal Kishore had an epileptic fit and fell to the ground. He had to be rushed to the hospital. Indira, livid that such information was hidden from her decided to not only call of the wedding but did something unthinkable. She asked her sister's brother-in-law Harpal Singh who was present among the wedding guests if he would marry her instead. After initial hesitation, he agreed and Indira married him instead of Jugal! When Jugal returned, he realised what had happened and pleaded before Indira not to make a lughing stock of him but she refused. Kudos girl!
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4. The bride who gets her way
This is the tale of a Punjabi bride whose father refused to let her marry her love and was forcing her into another marriage. The bride played by the cards till the wedding day in Mehrauli and was on her way to the venue where her selected groom was awaiting her. The wedding was a big, fat Punjabi wedding with all the works. However, the bride, when she reached the venue, got off the car, crossed the road and got into another car before anyone could realise what was happening. The car then zoomed off and the girl went ahead and married her lover. While we do feel sorry for the original groom who was not really at fault here, what we do like is the fact that the girl stood up to patriarchy and did exactly as she wished.
5. Bride and her family stand up to dowry demand
In a bizarre case in Bareilly, a bride and her family had to call off the wedding after the groom's family demanded at the last minute. The surprising part it, no mention of dowry had been made earlier. The marriage was fixed up and both, the bride and the groom being educated professionals did not discuss dowry. The wedding was proceeding perfectly when suddenly, there was some discussion between the extended family of the bride and groom and things turned sour. Post the arguments, the groom's family suddenly demanded gold chains for each of their wedding guests. On being refused, the groom walked off the wedding. The bride's father could not bear the shock and suffered a mild heart attack. However, the bride was not to be kept quiet. She went to the police station and registered a complaint against the groom and his family. The police investigated the matter and the boys side was made to pay up for all the expenses incurred by the bride and her family at the wedding. The wedding jewellery and token were also returned by them. While it was the groom who ditched the bride here, the bride had to wits to follow up and get back what was rightfully theirs. One for the girl!
It is not just our desi brides who are finally opening up and asking what they want. Bollywood has also been enamoured by the concept of runway bride since ages and there have been amazing movies on the concept. Here's a few Bollywood movies which have dealt with the issue, albeit in a fun way.
1. Dolly ki Doli
The latest of the lot, Dolly ki Doli is about a con runaway bride who cheats her husbands and makes away with their jewellery. A fun watch with a non-traditional ending which makes the movie interesting.
2. Shudh Desi Romance
A tale of two lovers, both commitment phobic, the movie deals with both: runaway bride and runaway groom. Though it tanked at the BO, the movie brought issues like live-in relationships and commitment phobia to light for the conservative Indian society.
3. 3 Idiots
Quite a fun watch this. And we admit, no one felt even a tad sorry for the poor bloke when Kareena ditched him to go off in hunt for her lover from college days and finally reunited with him.
4. Pyar ke Side Effects
Another real fun and cool movie where the bride was almost a compulsive runaway bride and runs away from her wedding as she is not happy and ready to get married.
5. Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin
One of the oldest movies, the climax scene has a bride who runs away from the wedding, is goaded by her father and goes and marries her lover.
An adventure lover and philosopher, her affair with words began at a young age. You can find her scribbling away at all odd hours of the day (and night) and if not with her head buried deep inside a book, she is generally romancing nature or ambling along through the maze of Indian streets. A carefree soul, she truly believes happiness lies within.
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