Akshara and Anant
Akshara, daughter of Radhika and Prakash Kundalia, tied the knot with Anant, son of Sheel and Ewanth Parekh, at ITC Kohenur, Hyderabad recently. It was the silent seed of friendship of nearly 40 years back between the two grandparents flowered into this wedding - destiny. This cosmopolitan mélange of a Marwari Jain with Telugu traditions was indeed a grand one. Both sides, conscious of their rich heritage and traditions with an undercurrent of cosmic unity, was blessed by the Universe itself.
The ceremonies that went on from March 9-11 saw a Mehendi, Mangala Snanam, Holi lunch, sangeet, and wedding. As coronavirus had broken out, it was proclaimed and accepted that there were no “outsiders” in this wedding - all were family. The extended family and the extending family, from all over the world, were all present in attendance. The celebrations were the last time everyone met before the lockdown, and those memories are what’s keeping them going now.
The Mehendi was hosted by the bride’s aunt, Renuka Chowdhury at her residence and was a close-knit affair. This was followed by Mangala Snanam; the bride’s making ritual, hosted by the Telugu side of the family. The function saw close family members coming together, early morning, to Bless Akshara with a splash to fill her life with love and joy. A delectable breakfast accompanied this fun ceremony with a South Indian menu crafted, only with millets as the main ingredient.
A Holi wedding calls for a Holi party! It was a magic spell of youthful love in all its colours and laughter cast on this pre-wedding function. With the eclectic décor, yummy street food, Mehendi, drinks, a rocking DJ, dhol and guests on the dance floor - the afternoon was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.
The fourth function was a sangeet at JRC Convention Hall. This musical night had family members singing and dancing the night through. Apart from the couple’s romantic dance, there was a mesmerising ballet performance by Ashrafi Ginwala, the bride’s childhood friend.
Finally came the D Day, where the beautiful bride was dressed in a traditional South Indian gold and pink Kanchivaram saree, with a mix of their family heirloom jewellery and modern interpretation of the traditional pieces. The wedding ceremony was a simple Jain-Vidhi that was solemnised in a beautiful setting with a floral mandap of lotus and roses.The ceremony was completed with the traditional blessings with haldi rice from all family elders.
Keeping in line with the theme, the ‘baraat bhojanam’ had celebratory cuisine from the Marwadi, Telugu, South Indian cultures along with the world-famous menu from the ITC kitchens. It rounded off with delicious desserts – Walnut Halva, Rasmalai, Badam ki Kheer, Khubani ka Meetha, Fresh Sandesh, and Kulfi Falooda. The carefully tailored wedding was organised by One Wedding, who blended the family traditions and unique style with their timeless, sophisticated designs.
