In a rare event, a Hindu couple from Chennai conducted their marriage ceremony 60 feet underwater and has been termed ‘unique’.
The bride S Swetha and groom V Chinnadurai tied their nuptials underwater in a ceremony were instructed by their priest and lasted for about 45 minutes. They woke up early at dawn and rushed to the coast of Neelankarai to carry out the ceremonials at the auspicious time.
The groom Chinnadurai is a software engineer and a licensed scuba instructor and had been scuba diving for about 12 years. He and his to-be wife reached the coast at about 7:30 a.m. to tie the knot where they exchanged garlands. Both the wedding participants were dressed in their traditional clothing. The groom wore a classic dhoti while the bride Swetha was dressed in a red sari. This was their first time in such finery as earlier they had only practiced in scuba wet suits.
Speaking about her experience, the bride told that it was the groom’s family who suggested an underwater wedding but was an all-new challenge for her. However her to-be family convinced her and after due courses of scuba diving and many sessions underwater in swimming pools, which she started taking in the month leading up to the wedding, she was ready for the extravagant experience. “The first time I was underwater, I saw a fish swim by me, and seeing it was an experience of a lifetime.”
The groom who had been scuba diving for about 12 years told that the ‘destination’ of the wedding was chosen to bring awareness among the people towards water pollution. He even told that they were scared of finding masks in the water body. In the 45 minutes long stay in the water in which they carried out the wedding essentials, the couple hopes that this might lower the rates of water pollution and do their bit for the environment.
