A brave young Hindu bride from Kadakkal in Kerala returned the thali (mangal sutra) to her groom after coming to know that he had converted to Christianity. As fate would have it, she got married to another person at the same mandap, the very same day. The incident happened at Kadakkal in the Kollam district of Kerala.

Earlier, the girl’s family agreed to the marriage thinking that the groom and his family were from the Hindu Ezhava community, the same as theirs. The arranged marriage was solemnized in the morning and was called off by afternoon. 

On the day of the marriage, the groom objected to Hindu rituals of lighting the traditional lamp and refused to remove his shoes before entering the decorated ‘Kathir Mandapam.’ This shocked the guests and led to a dispute between the two families. 

Little did they know that the groom who hails from nearby Altharamoodu had converted to the Christian Pentecostal church recently. It is a dangerous fundamentalist sect that is shunned by even the catholic Christians in Kerala. 

They have a terrible habit of not visiting doctors and hospitals and instead prefer to pray for the patient’s recovery. The ones with serious health issues usually do not survive. The secrecy that surrounds this sect makes sure that the outside world seldom knows what happened. Rolling on the church floors they indulge in blurting gibberish and cry out loud. 

Since the groom insisted on his anti-Hindu conditions, the elders decided to compromise and the thali was tied outside the Kathir Mandapam. The groom’s family then insisted on pre-conditions before allowing the bride’s relatives into their house. It is not clear whether conversion to Christianity was discussed. 

The bride and her family understood the dangers in store for her and decided to call off the marriage. The lady returned the Thali and asked her family to send the groom on his way.  

The drama ended shortly after when the bride’s cousin came forward and agreed to marry her. That ceremony too was conducted at the same venue, later that same day.