Our Story
A vegetarian Reddy meets a strict follower of Sri Sampradāya. The sheer incredulity is only further topped by the serendipitous nature of how the two met, but that is a story for another day. Suffice to say, the stars were aligned and the gods gave their blessing. And so the story unfolds…
From the moment the dates were finalised we knew we wanted to make it an eco-friendly wedding. It is a traditional Indian wedding, with rituals fundamental to the sanatana dharma forming the core of the process, and additional cultural norms following local traditions of South Indian weddings. Every step of the way, we looked at the process, the materials used, and how they are packaged, consumed, disposed, to ensure that it is eco-friendly.
It has been an exciting journey so far, and the process will be chronicled in our Blog section for those of you interested in how we did things.
Weddings can be opulent, even wasteful at times – our challenge was to keep things grand as befit such a joyous celebration, while keeping grounded in the values that drive us, all this against the backdrop of one of the most challenging times we have faced as humanity, globally.
Naveen Reddy
Naveen Reddy Pailla is the Principal and a Director of SLOKA THE SCHOOL, at Manikonda, Hyderabad. A lifelong educator at heart, he teaches Mathematics and Moral science, and is passionate about using knowledge to make a difference in the lives of children and society. In his quest to lead a more meaningful and impactful life, he discovered the path of Gaudiya Sampradaya and embraced vegetarianism in his youth.
Saras Chandrika
Palabathuni Venkata Saras Chandrika is a senior accountant working at Dr. Reddy’s, corporate office in Hyderabad. She has a head for numbers and is an All-India ranked ICWA holder. She loves Tollywood & Bollywood movies and is an SRK fan. She is trained in Carnatic music as a vocalist for annamayya compositions and is a student of Padma Shri Dr Shobha Raju garu and Polaki Raju garu.
Countdown
As befit traditional South Indian weddings, our Bride will get ready very early in the morning, with her day starting at 2:30 am – the Pellikuthuru will be at the Bride’s home. By 7:00 am the girl’s family along with the Bride will be at the venue, and the wedding process will start. The Groom, will also be invited to the Mandapam at this point. The precise auspicious time of the Jeelakarra Bellam is shown in the countdown below – and at precisely 9:18 am – with the purohit chanting from the vedas, and the nādasvaram being played to the Mangala Vadyam, a mellifluous cacophony of heavenly Carnatic music signals this most significant moment.
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The Day Of
Keeping in mind the current situation, and to keep things safe, our venue is a large hall, with a running crowd, to ensure safe distancing. Also in keeping with safety norms in practice during this period, the number of invitees are very limited. Invitees should wear masks. The wedding ceremony will be held on the 2nd floor hall. The ceremony starts at 7:00 am. The auspicious hour for the Jeelakarra-Bellam is 9:18 am. Various ceremonies follow – the mangala sutram, the talambralu, the homam-saptapadi, and so on, till 2:00 pm. Arundhati & Gau Danam, is followed by the bride & groom breaking their fast with a meal together. The entire ceremony will be live-streamed for those unable to attend. You can see it on the Video Link above.
Lunch for wedding invitees will be served on the ground-floor (Basement) from 10:00 am onward. The meal will be a traditional Bhramin style banthi bhojanam of healthy Vegetarian (no Onion/Garlic) food served on banana leafs.
Event Details
Date: 11 August 2021
Time: 9:18 am
Location: Kalinga Samithi, Bhavani Nagar, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana 500034
Lunch from: 10:00 am
Predicted Weather
Temperature: 31° C | 88° F
Rain: 20%
Humidity: 68%
Wind: 6mph
Sunrise: 5:58 am
Sunset: 6:44 pm
Gallery
As and when we get pics clicked, we will keep updating the gallery with the best selections, to offer a glimpse, and chronicle this beautiful journey, so that we can all share it vicariously together.
Wedding Venue
Kalinga Samithi, Bhavani Nagar, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana 500034