How To Be A Bride Without Becoming A Wife? Marry Yourself

Marriage is often talked about like it were a final destination, the last rite of freedom. But weddings? They seem a lot more fun with the gifts, the outfits, the special attention and most importantly the food on offer. Well, at least for me. Like many young women in India, I am also being shamelessly interrogated on my wedding plans and Kshama Bindu of Gujarat has given me another rebuttal to use. Bindu cut to the chase and started preparing to become a bride without caring about the groom or the baraat. She is going to marry herself on June 11.

Not sure if Bindu has managed to convince her parents to attend her wedding but her friends are reportedly on the guest list. One can only imagine how the symbolic ceremony will unfold with no groom to please, no baraatis to spoon-feed. The bride can take her time while getting ready and the rituals, which Bindu wants to perform, will all be for one purpose, a woman's commitment to herself. Bindu's love for herself is commendable and sets a powerful example for many women. Sure, we all don't have to perform coronation ceremonies to declare ourselves queens of our own world but if someone wants to do exactly that then what is the harm?

Marry Yourself And Stay A Bride Forever

Sologamy, or marrying oneself, is often seen as something too exaggerated to take it seriously. It is also something gaining popularity in recent times, especially during the pandemic when many women around the world felt they want to have a wedding for themselves. The symbolic practice also threatens patriarchy exactly like a nice and big vibrator. What will gallant gentlemen of the world do if women start finding the prince charming in themselves? For an institution that makes women feel less for not being married, they sure are going to lose a lot of arguments.

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While we all are on different self love journeys, our goals might be the same. I, for one, think eating fruits and cleaning my face is the greatest service I can give myself. Corrupted by romance novels, it is difficult for me to see a dreamy wedding without a decent groom. But had I grown up reading women finding their soulmates in themselves, the story would have been a lot more different. Of course sologamy is not something we can see as a goal but instead of asking the Joeys in our lives to marry us and save us from the lonely road that waits after 40s, can we can just follow the Kshama Bindu's footsteps?

Not to mention, if you are also most interested in the food stalls at weddings, making friends and waiting for them to get married is our best bet. Nevertheless, I wish Kshama Bindu lives happily ever after.

Views expressed by the author are their own.