Groom Who Wore A Mangalsutra Along With His Wife On Their Wedding Day Shares His Story
It's a custom that has been in place for centuries and has been worn as a symbol of marital dignity and chastity. While the tradition remains in practice, a man recently revealed that he exchanged mangalsutras with his wife on their wedding day.
Mangalsutra carries immense importance in Hindu culture and traditions. It's a scared thread which is traditionally tied around the neck of the bride by the groom during the wedding rituals.
It's a custom that has been in place for centuries and has been worn as a symbol of marital dignity and chastity. While the tradition remains in practice, a man recently revealed that he exchanged mangalsutras with his wife on their wedding day.
Facebook/Humans of Bombay
His revelation about tweaking practice raised eyebrows on social media.
Shardul Kadam, sharing his story with Humans of Bombay, recalled he and his partner tried the mangalsutras around their necks after the pheras. "After the pheras when Tanuja and I tied the mangalsutra around each other's neck, I was so happy," he recalled.
Also read: Bride Shares Story Of Wearing A Pantsuit To Her Wedding And How People Reacted
¡°Tanuja and I were in the same college but hardly interacted with each other. 4 years after we graduated, we reconnected...
Posted by Humans of Bombay on Wednesday, 5 May 2021
Unfortunately, the next day, the newlyweds woke up to "terrible backlash" on social media. The couple had met in college, but their love story took off four years after their graduation.
"We reconnected in the most unexpected way. She¡¯d shared a Himesh Reshammiya song on Instagram and captioned it as ¡®torture¡¯¨CI replied back saying ¡®maha torture¡¯...that¡¯s how we started talking, says Shardul.
The pair soon started opening up to each other and when they discussion moved to feminism, Shardul declared himself to be a "hardcore feminist".
Shardul and Tanuja dated for a year before they informed their parents, who were thrilled. They decided to get married when the first wave of COVID-19 subsided in India.
That's when Shardul revealed his plan about mangalsutra exchange.
"I told Tanuja, 'Why is it that only a girl has to wear a mangalsutra? It makes no sense!' We were both equals, so I announced, 'Even I'll wear a mangalsutra on our wedding day!'" Shardul tells Humans of Bombay.
Also read: Watch: Bride And Groom Have 'Dancing' Pheras At Their Wedding
Facebook/Humans of Bombay
Shardul was firm on his decision and refused to budge even though his parents and relatives had reservations about the plan.
A few male relatives weren't happy about the exchange but the wedding went on smoothly. But the day after, the newlyweds became the talk of the town after a website picked up their story.
"People started commenting- 'Now wear a saree also', 'Do you bleed once a month?' Even liberals started trolling me, 'This is not the way to support gender equality,' they said."
Shardul says he expected some trolling to come his way, but the extent of it surprised him. "At first, Tanuja was affected by it, but it's been four months now and we're just done with the trolls," he says.
