Kendrapara: A 33-year-old man school teacher refused dowry and instead received 1,001 saplings as wedding gift here on Saturday.
"When wedding extravagance is the order of the day, the groom, Saroj Kanta Biswal, has set a precedence. It was an ideal marriage in true sense. The marriage was sole-mnised in an austere manner. There was no band party or fire cracker show either," said Ranjan Pradhan, a resident of the bride's village at Adampur in Marshaghai tehsil.
"I was opposed to dowry system in marriage. Besides, I am a nature lover right from my childhood. That's why I had insisted on receiving 1001 saplings of fruit-bearing trees as 'dowry'. Accordingly, the wedding took place on Saturday," said bridegroom Biswal.
"My spouse Rashmirekha Paitala is also a school teacher. My decision has made her happy as well," he added.