6 strange reasons people in India called off their weddings

From bad math to bad lighting, weddings in India have been called off for a variety of reasons

From bad math to bad lighting, women in India have been taking control of who they choose to tie the knot with, and they're not afraid to call of their wedding.

1. Drunk:

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A woman in Firozabad called off her wedding when her groom arrived drunk at the venue. Times of India reported. The groom reportedly couldn’t even stand up for the ‘jaimaal’ ceremony, in which the bride and groom exchange floral garlands.

The wife threatened to commit suicide if forced to marry the inebriated man, so her family obliged. "The groom was not even able to stand. He could not hold the jaimaal and walk up to the venue," Keshav Prasad, a relative of the bride, told TOI over the phone.

"Seeing him in such a state, she told her parents and siblings she would not marry him. When they tried to force her, she threatened to end her life. Elders from both sides unanimously decided to call off the wedding. There was no dispute and all was settled amicably," Prasad added.



2. Poor Math:

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When Mohar Singh arranged for his daughter, Lovely, to get married to a man named Ram Baran, he wasn’t aware of the groom’s illiteracy. Apparently, right before the ceremony, the bride asked her groom a simple math question: add 15 and six.

When the groom answered 17, the bride called off the wedding.

BBC reported that the groom's family tried to convince the bride to return, but she refused claiming he was illiterate.

Mohar Singh said that the "groom's family had kept us in the dark about his poor education".

"Even a first grader can answer this [the maths test]," he said.

3. Illness:

During the ‘varmala’ ceremony, (where the groom puts a garland on his bride), the excited groom had a seizure and collapsed in front of the wedding guests.

During the wedding ceremony of 25-year-old Jugal Kishore, from Moradabad, and his 23-year-old bride Indira from Rampur, Times of India reported that just as he extended his arms towards Indira, Kishore had an epileptic fit and fell to the ground.

The young bride, furious that her family had been kept in the dark about Kishore's medical condition, announced that she would instead, marry Harpal Singh. Singh was a guest at the wedding who turned out to be her sister's brother-in-law.

Surprisingly enough, Singh declared he would willingly take Indira as his wife. Although he was caught completely unaware and dressed in jeans he joined Indira and the ceremony proceeded with a different groom.

Meanwhile, Kishore, who had been rushed to the doctor by relatives, returned to the venue only to find his fiancé with another man.

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Kishore pleaded with Indira, expressing his embarrassment if he returned home without her. Indira couldn’t be persuaded, however, which lead to violence. Wedding guests used spoons, plates and other dishes to force Indira to marry Kishore. Nothing worked.

4. A kiss from Bhabi

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The couple met on an online dating site and after a brief courtship decided to tie the knot.

At the wedding in Aligarh, things went awry when the sister-in-law, so excited about the wedding, jumped up and kissed her brother-in-law. Despite the family’s obvious disapproval, she remained unscathed and pulled the groom onto the dance floor.

A brawl instantly started, leaving the 500 guests to fend for cover as the families fought.

Aligarh mayor Shakuntala Bharati, who happened to be one of the guests, had to intervene as the situation got out of hand.

The mayor told Times of India, "The boy (bridegroom) had been confined by the girl's family. He was in their custody. Though it was their personal matter, I had to intervene to free the poor man. I had come to give the newly-weds my blessing. But they were gunning for each other. Both come from very good, educated families. So it was a bit of a shock. The groom went back without the bride."

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5. Lighting arrangements



Yes, you read that right! The wedding was called off because of lighting arrangements.

North-east of the city of Kanpur, the groom’s family demanded better lights at the wedding but the bride's family said no.

A seemingly trivial matter turned into a massive argument. When the situation took a violent turn, the police were called. Finally, the girl refused to marry and the wedding was called off.

Speaking to Times of India, Ajay, a relative of the girl said that they had just protested against the undue demand of the bridegroom and his family members, but they started misbehaving with them. He added: "When girl's father and brother went to sort it out, they were threatened."
"We will never get our sister married with a person who creates a hue and cry merely over lighting arrangements. They were uncultured and ill-mannered," Ajay told TOI.



6. Spit:

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A groom in Deoria district arrived at his wedding chewing tobacco. Half-way through the wedding ceremony, he stepped out to spit.

According to BBC, the infuriated bride called off the wedding, claiming she didn't want to marry an addict.