Stepping into flat no. 511 in the fifth block of Indira Towers, an apartment located adjacent to St. Ann's Hospital in the city, one almost gains entry into a celestial zone. The house has been tastefully decorated using various articles that signify the different stages of a traditional Marwari marriage. Budharaj, a businessman and his wife Poonam Mootha, in their quest for an ‘out of the box' décor for their niece who would stay at their house, which will serve as vididi illu , a house where pre-marriage rituals are performed for the bride, have worked on this ‘pleasant surprise' for the bride-to-be. “Initially we thought of hiring a mandapam for the rituals but finally settled to do something ‘different', says the couple.
A traditionally designed ‘Suswagatham' board and an image of a bridegroom on a horse meet the eye almost immediately. Liberal use of fabric paint and embellishments with kundan work has accentuated the beauty of the place.
The highlight of the décor on wedding theme is the ‘Saptapadi', the traditional saat pheras (seven sacred promises), carved out of a thermocol plank and fixed on the wall with the ‘seven vows' written on them. “The sanctity of marriage and the family relation make the corner-stone of Indian society. A Hindu wedding is all about rituals and customs which teach us the essence of a blissful married life. We wanted to set a perfect tone for the ensuing wedding for the bride-to-be,” says Budharaj, the artistic brain behind the décor. An impressive image of the sacred fire which serves as the witness to the ritual of seven vows finds place in the dining area. “Pre-wedding customs like haldi (applying turmeric and sandalwood paste to the bride), path-bethai (prospective bride is decked as ‘ pelli kuthuru '), mehendi and a Vinayak puja wherein the girl, along with her mother, offers puja to a potter's wheel, showing her willingness to mould herself to suit the new environment, will be performed here,” says Poonam.
