A Wedding With No Rituals or Surnames? Here's is Some Unique Inspiration!

[View this email in your browser]( A Wonderful Wedding We all seem to have collectively agreed to love the great (and costly) Indian wedding. Whether the celebrations are more 'hip and happening', via extensive movement of the hips, or more ritualistic and pompous - all weddings in India are reasonably expensive. One is expected to invite an entire district worth of relatives, friends, office colleagues and that one person whom you have never seen in your life but who keeps wishing 'Good Morning, madam!' to your mother in the park during her morning walks, so now deserves a free meal. Most guests have a gala time - and couple's participation is appreciated, but not compulsory - beyond the rituals. With so many weddings every year, the race to be different can be tight - even as budgets continue to race towards 'I am having a heart attack' levels. But for those of us who do not wish to spend the GDP of a small nation while Bollywood heroes dance in the background, how does one stand out? [How about a wedding with a (nice) point?]( Meet Sachin Asha Subhash and Sharvari Surekha Arun - a fun couple from Pune who just got married on 26 January 2019. To start with, they skipped the rituals altogether and took seven 'constitutional vows to uphold. They also legally changed their caste-based surnames - replacing them with something we can all agree upon. Alright, there were a 1000 guests (somethings apparently cannot be changed), but all guests were asked to gift only books - which are being used to set up libraries in schools! And this is just their wedding. Their lives are examples in a general sense as well. Sachin, for example, is known as Pune's 'Padman' for creating cheap and safe sanitary pads. So as Valentine's Day approaches, if you are planning some long-term commitment, [read their incredible story]( and try to make it different! ​ - Vinayak Hegde [Read Here]( Product Of The Day The game has been traditionally played for centuries and features often in Indian mythology. Hand-stitched with the finest cotton fabric, this [Pachisi Game board]( lives up to the grandeur of the game, allowing you to time-travel to the days of kings and queens. [Buy Now]( Recommended Reads Adopted by Ahmedabad, ‘Battery-Swapping’ Could Revolutionize India’s E-Bus Scene [Read More]( Of IAF & Iconic Trains: 7 Facts About ‘Mile Sur Mera Tumhara’ That You Didn’t Know! [Read More]( Why This Chennai Man is Baking Guilt-Free Desserts Designed For People With Cancer [Read More]( Earthbags to Compostable Toilets: This Couple’s Farm is Living At Its Best! [Read More]( Video of The Day Watch: From acid and poison to expanding quarries, Bengaluru's Vijay Nishanth has been tirelessly working to save trees from all kinds of dangers. #Respect Copyright © 2019 The Better India, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](.