After creating nationwide buzz with her announcement that she would be marrying herself, Vadodara resident Kshama Bindu "preponed" the event and tied the knot with herself three days before the scheduled date, she said on Thursday.
Bindu, 24, said she performed the `sologamy', reportedly the first in the country, at her home in Vadodara's Gotri area on June 8.
She had planned to marry herself at a temple in the area on June 11 and arranged a priest to solemnise the marriage with traditional Vedic rituals, but changed the plans after the priest backed off, Bindu told reporters.
"I finally got married with myself at my home on Wednesday evening in the presence of some select friends. To avoid any more controversy, I preponed my wedding. Even the priest backed off following the controversy. The temple where I had planned to get married also cancelled my booking following opposition from Sunitaben," she said.
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Sunita Shukla, vice president of the Vadodara unit of the BJP, had announced that she will not allow such a marriage to take place in any temple, and alleged that Bindu was "corrupting" the minds of Hindu youths through such "publicity stunts."
Bindu also released a video of her wedding.
She is seen wearing bridal make-up, `mehndi' and a saree, and taking part in rituals in front of sacred fire. She is also seen performing `seven pheras,' (circumambulation around a fire), considered an essential part of the marriage ritual.
"It was a dream come true. This marriage had everything, except a groom and a priest. As per the rituals, I performed puja of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Laxmi, garlanded myself, applied sindoor on my head and even took seven vows, which I had written for myself," she said.
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Her intention was to break stereotypes and inspire others who are “tired of finding true love,” said Bindu, who identifies as a bisexual person.
This would be the first instance of sologamy in India, she had claimed earlier.
Bindu, who is a working professional, had also said that her mother, who lives in another city, had given consent for the unusual “groom-less” wedding.
What's sologamy? What's its acceptance?
Sologamy is a commitment to yourself and not necessarily to singledom or celibacy, explains Brides.com.
The idea has acquired acceptance in many people in recent years because many feel they are losing themselves in today's fast-paced lives and they need to love themselves more.
"Many of us have lost sight of who we are and most people are not used to just sitting with themselves, therefore, looking in the mirror to acquire inner knowledge, rediscover what we are and what we want to reflect to others is crucial," Brides.com quoted Monica Manzano as saying.
The article adds, "Sologamy is a cathartic declaration of self-compassion and a promise to give to yourself what you often seek from other people. The idea is to hold your own heart and care for it as much as you would someone else’s; a lifelong commitment to loving yourself fully."
Gujarat's Kshama Bindu also spoke of her sologamous marriage on similar lines.
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(With PTI inputs)
