HYDERABAD: The Ranbir-Alia wedding, where there was no horse in the picture, has got netizens talking about the need to set aside the age-old ritual of grooms arriving on a ghodi. Grooms, wedding planners and animal rights activists weigh in
Gone are those days when every bride’s dream wedding had to have a baraat with the dulha on a ghodi. These days, vintage bikes and cars are replacing the ‘good old’ horse. While the primary reason could be animal cruelty, for some it’s just about doing things a little hatke. Pushing the trend further was the recent Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt wedding, where there was no horse in the picture. That could have also been because the wedding happened at Ranbir’s home and there was no need for him to reach his own house on a horse. Nevertheless, this has got netizens talking about the need to move over the age-old tradition for the love of animals.
Even in Hyderabad, there have been many — wedding planners, animal rights activists and even grooms — who are tweaking tradition by saying ‘neigh’ to the use of horse. Samuel Ebenezer, an event planner who has been busy as a bee this wedding season, talks about how his brand, Wedding Stories, has been doing different things to bring about a change in this ritual.
“Every couple who approaches us wants something different for their wedding and the concept of the North Indian wedding, where the groom rides a horse to the venue, is definitely fading out. Couples these days prefer vintage cars and bikes instead. The reason being that most of them are animal-friendly and using a horse for a wedding might harm it. Also, riding a bike or car is considered way more cool for youngsters these days.”
Pradeep Reddy recently got married and he made a stunning entry on a Bullet. “I have seen grooms sitting on their horse for hours as the baraat moves slowly. No matter what, they will just not get off their horse, which is so disheartening. The poor animal is scared of the crowd, the firecrackers and the loud music. I don’t get it as to how people put the animal through such torture,” he says.
But Pradeep is optimistic that things will change soon if tiny steps — such as deciding not to use a horse for a wedding — are taken to stop animal cruelty. “Also, the trend of riding a vintage bike or driving a vintage car is great,” he says.
Vasanthi Vadi, the president of PFA (Hyderabad and Secunderabad) and member of the TS Animal Welfare Board, talks about the need for change to save animals from abuse. “If you see, traditionally, we used many animals, including elephants. Royal families used to use horses a lot. But I don’t see the relevance of it today. Our culture also has the values of empathy and respect towards all living beings, which is exceptional. In today’s age, it is a complete dichotomy, in the sense that we have some of the best animal protection laws in the world, yet we end up violating them,” she says.
Back in the day, grooms rode horses that belonged to their family and it was for commuting purposes. “But continuing the same thing today does not make sense. But I am happy to see that things are changing. I am so glad that Alia and Ranbir have set an example for the youth. This practice will slowly die out,” says Vasanthi.