So recently, a young Odia couple took their marriage vows by swearing on the Constitution of India. This caused most people to feel nice and proud. However, some Odias have taken to Twitter to say this was an insult to Hindu rituals that should have been followed. This causes me to ask a few questions.

The first of which is: Do you realise that the religious rituals are as artificial as the Constitutional vows are? All of these practices are man-made. If an old ritual can solemnise a marriage, then so can a new one. Considering one better than the other makes about as much sense as thinking that one language is better than another.

Second, how many of you are “pure Odia”? As in, how many of you dress in the exact same way as your ancestors? How many speak Sanskrit at home? How many of you regularly consume Odia literature?

And since we are on the subject of marriage and Sanskrit ritualism, how many of you actually understand the chants a Brahmin makes during a wedding ceremony? If you can sit respectfully during weddings as someone speaks (or makes stuff up) a language you neither speak nor understand, then you can respect this ritual as well.

And lastly, about this accusation of “they did it for attention”, I am not sure how to break this news to you, but all wedding ceremonies are had for attention. That’s why lakhs are spent on pandals, horses, clothes, cars, and functions. A wedding that goes out of the way to make a much needed statement (given the times), is at least original. It’s at least not copy-pasting everyone else just so it can escape criticism from butthurt culture vultures like you. Grow a heart and crack a smile, will you?