Dilwale Dulha Le Jayenge

When her father tried to stall her wedding, a young girl in Bihar broke the age-old tradition of the baraat coming to the bride’s house and rode to her fiance’s house to get married

Patna: A young girl in Bihar inverted the traditional Indian concept of the baraat coming to a bride’s house, by going to the groom’s house to wed.Goriya Pandey, in her early 20s, led the marriage party to groom Bhagwan Pandey’s house in Rohtas district after her father made sudden demands for dowry and turned away the groom from her house.On May 2, Goriya was to be married to Bhagwan. However, when he reached her house at Dehri On Sone, a small town on the banks of river Sone in Rohtas district, her alcoholic father, Yogadhi Pandey, asked him to pay dowry. Efforts were made to persuade Yogadhi to give up his unreasonable demand. Bhagwan’s father even agreed to pay some of the sum he had demanded. But Yogadhi insisted on being paid the entire sum. Bhagwan and his relatives then left.Yogadhi’s decision was criticised by Goriya and her brothers, who decided to go ahead with the marriage. Goriya declared that she would go to the groom’s house for the wedding. A car was hired and the marriage party drove to the groom’s house where they were given a warm welcome. The marriage was solemnised amidst much song, dance and merriment.“For a girl who belongs to a conservative society, Goriya showed immense courage and confidence to break an age-old practice,” said Rita Devi, a member of Goriya’s marriage party. The groom’s family made no demands for dowry and were only happy to welcome the feisty, young bride. News of Goriya’s achievement has only recently come into the limelight.