Global marriages in God's Own Country

Global marriages in God's Own Country


By Gloria Simi in Kochi

God's Own Country may not have been friendly to evangelist Joseph Cooper, but it bends over backwards to host shows that entertain the ubiquitous traveller who does not have a message but dollars jingling in his pocket. And when it comes to entertaining those who are discovering the virtues of the Hindu customs and traditions, the tiny state does not think twice.

In yet another instance of aggressive promotion of its backwaters and coastal delights, Kerala hosted the wedding reception of John Foreman and Nicola Pauling, both hailing from United Kingdom, with roots in New Zealand. The couple got married on Monday at the Bolgatty Palace, Kochi, with a smattering of Hindu rituals.

The global marriage took place on Monday afternoon in the picturesque Bolgatty Island in the Kochi. Of course, not a novel thing but yet another cliché in the recent Kerala tourism history.

The marriage of John, a pharmaceutical retailer from London, with Nicola, a correspondent of the international news agency Reuters, UK was only one among the growing instances of `global marriages.’

These are not isolated instances, but growing instances of `global marriages’ that have caught the fancy of the global citizen, whose appetite for Indianism goes beyond kathakali and Mahabalipuram rocks.

In 2000-2001 alone, the Coconut Lagoon at Kumarakom played host to three such global marriages.

Or the case of Canadian sexagenarian couple John Grant and Judit Skelton Grant, who renewed their vows after 40 years of marriage with a traditional Hindu wedding `demonstration' at the Brunton Boatyard Hotel at Fort Kochi last week.

For Monday's marriage at Bolgatty Place, the party, comprising 60 friends and relatives from places as far away as New Zealand, Australia, Belgium, France, South Africa and United States, reportedly shelled out $50,000.

John and Nicola's marriage was performed to the accompaniment of nagaswaram in front of a nilavilakku. The couple who met two-and-a-half-years ago had zeroed in on Bolgatty Palace after a visit to the State seven months ago.

All 65 invitees were in traditional Indian dress with woman wearing silk saris and bindis and men in shervani kurtas.

According to an estimate the room rent for the marriage party alone in Bolgatty Palace came to Rs 1.25 lakh per day.

But insiders say that if not for formalities and regulations connected to such marriages, a lot more will happen every week. More marriages mean more moolah.

"Last month we had to turn down a request from a Swedish couple, marrying for the first time, because of such formalities," says G Radhakrishnan, director, Worldwide Adventures India Pvt Ltd, a Canadian subsidiary.

According to the Director of Tourism Alkesh Kumar Sharma, this has to be encouraged, not for tourism, but for spreading the values of our civilisation worldwide.

"It's only natural for the West with it's fast eroding family values to look to the East," he says.