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Regular-article-logo Tuesday, 22 July 2025

Italians marry Hindu way

The pomp and splendour associated with Indian marriages were all present, as an Italian couple tied the nuptial knots here.

Sunil Patnaik Published 26.04.15, 12:00 AM
Ottavio Maurizio and Vincenza Ganenza at their marriage ceremony in Berhampur. Picture by Gopal Krishna Reddy

Berhampur, April 25: The pomp and splendour associated with Indian marriages were all present, as an Italian couple tied the nuptial knots here.

The entire wedding ceremony was performed according to the Hindu rituals, and both the bride and the groom were seen seeking blessings from the elders.

The only aberration was the fact that the Italian nationals - Ottavio Maurizio, 55, and Vincenza Ganenza, 48, both from the Mediterranean island of Sicily - were Christians.

The wedding was performed yesterday in the Kalinga Ashram at Amunia village on the city outskirts.

"I am really impressed with the Vedic culture and traditions. It is my pleasure to have my marriage solemnised in India according to the Vedic traditions," said Ottavio.

Both Ottavio and Vincenza bathed in water mixed with turmeric. Ottavio was named Krishna while Vincenza chose the name Radhika. Both wore the mukuta (handmade crown) and were decked with jewellery.

Gouri Shankar Satpathy, a retired defence engineer, Prabhakar Padhi from Gosaninuagaon and Krupasindhu Satpathy of Sandhamul village in the Beguniapada block were the priests, who solemnised the marriage.

"We are happy that we had a rare opportunity of solemnising the marriage of a foreigner couple in Vedic rituals," said a priest.

Ganjam resident Ramesh Chandra Das, who is also a patron of the Kalinga Ashram, and Alford Rombal (popularly known as Arjun Das), an Italian citizen who is doing research on Hindu culture and running an NGO in Puri, donned the roles of the father of the bride and the groom, respectively.

"I feel extremely proud that a couple from abroad came to Kalinga Ashram to solemnise their marriage," said Das.

The marriage has been regularised through the Indian Institute of Culture and Social Development, an organisation spearheading the movement to popularise Vedic culture, Das said.

More than one hundred people, including 15 relatives of the bride and the groom who came from Italy, enjoyed the marriage feast in the ashram. There were 15 items that included rice, dal, curd, mixed vegetable curry, salad and kheer.

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