News: Lady priest solemnises nuptial bond for a change

Kolkata, November 19: For Vedavati Choudhury, it was a unique way to embark upon this lifetime of togetherness, as she married Navin Jana in a simple, understated ceremony today, at the premises of the Ananda Marga Ashram.

The novelty of this nuptial bond was that it was solemnised by a lady priest. A rarity indeed, — considering the prevalent social practices where men generally are the torchbearers of any ritual. In fact, this Ananda Marga ideology of giving an equal platform to women has influenced Vedavati’s choice of tying the knot here.

Furthering that notion of gender equanimity, Abadhutika Ananda Krishna Prana has been conducting marriage ceremonies for quite some time now. Today also, Navin and Vedavati, both lecturers in colleges, became man and wife by the blessings of Ananda Krishna Prana (Eds.).

For Navin, however, it was an “unceremonious ceremony”. “Everything associated with a marriage is present here, but without the pompous extravaganza,” he exclaimed. The ceremony is brief sans the dogmatic time consuming rituals without losing out on the flavour of a conventional Hindu marriage.

The ceremony begins with the couple being introduced to each other and to the respective families. The couple then solemnly pledge to be with each other in joy and woe for the years to come. They promise each other to take care of their mutual well-being physically, mentally and spiritually.

The families, too, vow to co-operate with the newly-weds in their conjugal life. The ceremony is complete after garlands are exchanged thrice by the bride and her groom. The bride can choose for herself, whether she wants to don the traditional symbols of marriage like the vermillion (sindoor). “Since a marriage harks a beautiful journey together, we believe that it is the blessings of well-wishers that matter and not orthodox prejudices,” says a spokesperson for Ananda Marga Ashram.