A dazzling array of diamonds, massive ornate replicas of elephants befitting grand Dasara celebrations and rows of luxury cars decorated with the priciest of orchids waiting outside the main hall.
It was an expensive wedding in Bengaluru, and it stood out in the present cash-strapped times.
The wedding of Brahmani, daughter of mining baron and former BJP Minister G. Janardhan Reddy with Rajeev Reddy, a Hyderabad-based businessman, on Wednesday, was surreal. A few streets away, people were lining up outside banks hoping to get a few scarce 100-rupee notes.
Outside the palatial air-conditioned wedding hall stood a black Rolls Royce.
After the glittering ceremony, lunch for non-VIP guests was served in a separate hall in traditional banana-leaf style, with a 50-item menu, while the VIPs had a more lavish spread of 100 items, a member of the gourmet team said.
The day witnessed a steady stream of VIPs among the 50,000 guests at the event – political leaders from the BJP and Congress included.
The opulent wedding has invited sharp criticism. The guests witnessed the ceremony on giant screens in the large hall. The first few rows of seats (leather couches, unlike the chairs for the rest of the crowd) close to the stage were barricaded and reserved for ‘VIPs.’
When big names from politics and the film industry arrived, they drew whistles from the visitors. Former Karnataka Chief Minister and State BJP president B.S. Yeddyurappa, who made his second appearance at the lavish wedding on Wednesday, drew a massive response.
The hosts had invited leaders cutting across party lines. Apart from several State BJP leaders, even those from the Congress government came, including Home Minister G. Parameshwara. Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala also made a quick visit.
However, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the central BJP leadership were conspicuous by their absence.
A large number of people had travelled from Ballari for the wedding.
The sheer number of people left the dining area in chaos. Scores of guests jostled to get their hands on the tambula, fruit salad and paan . The food menu from the ‘Karnataka’ and ‘Andhra’ kitchens not reaching ‘non-VIPs’ in full also led to some disappointment.
Amidst the chaos, several people lost some of their belongings. These included wallets, mobile phones and helmets. Even on the dais, there was drama as bouncers reportedly found someone attempting to pick a guest’s pocket.
Modest return giftsSome visitors to the big Reddy wedding were disappointed with the return gifts.
Tucked into two medium-sized paper bags were two saplings — tulsi and sandalwood — and a box of sweets. That prompted some people to pick up multiple bags.
