Non-conformist Bengali bride shatters ritual; says can’t repay parents’ debt

Kolkata, Jan 31: Indian society still boasts about some bizarre rituals but of late, the young generation has started questioning them which makes one hopeful.

In Bengali marriage, there is a ritual called 'Kanakanjali' under which the bride, when about to leave her parents' house for the in-laws' one, throws rice backwards over her head saying "I repay all my parents' debt."

This is something a lot of non-conformists find objectionable but given the pressure that comes from the people around - mostly the elderly, not all can muster the courage to challenge it.

But not this bride.

In a video footage of a Bengali marriage that has gone viral, the bride hits back when asked to utter the words that she is repaying all the debts to her parents.

"You can never replay your parents' debt," she says refusing to parrot the line one of the relatives tells her to utter.

The rebel bride has become an Internet sensation overnight because of her strong stand against "paying off" debts of her parents who sacrificed a whole lot of things all their lives to raise her.

The netizens hailed the young man and rightly so.