It is common knowledge that nothing in connection with Lalu Yadav can be ordinary. And this time, it was Lalu’s own offspring’s wedding so it had to be grand. But no one had expected that it would go on to be such a grand ruckus.
It Happens Only in Bihar
On the evening of 12 May, thousands of guests feasted under the pandal, standing gloriously tall on Patna’s Veterinary Ground.
There were two types of food spread outs on the ground – one for common guests, and the other for the VIPs. But someone along the way decided to spread the rumor that the food at the VIP section is tastier. That was enough to trigger the crowd, which pounced immediately onto the VIP’s territory. Chaos ensued with crockery breaking and people gluttonously attacking the food.
The Shiv-Parvati Avatar
Prior to the evening’s excitement, the guests enjoyed a feast spread out at the official residence of Bihar’s former CM Rabri Devi.
The groom Tej Pratap is a bhakt of Lord Krishna, and has even shared a photograph of himself playing the flute on social media. But on the day of the wedding, his followers decided to transform him into Lord Shiva and his wife into Goddess Parvati.
Probably because among the holy couples, Shiv-Parvati are revered more deeply than Ram-Sita or Krishna-Rukmani.
Band-Baja and Frenzied Processions
By 4 pm, a pack of elephants, horses and camels had started gathering around Rabri Devi’s official residence. There were over six bands as well. The whole area was echoing with the sounds of celebration.
A man who owned an elephant called Madan Prasad told me:
We have received a chance to be a part of a lavish wedding after so many days. Lalu Ji will reward us generously.
This really was Shiv Ji’s wedding procession. Lots of people stood outside the house, desperately waiting for a glimpse of the groom, their smartphones ready in their hands. Media cameras gyrated around guests like vultures around dead prey. The effect of alcohol ban on the guests was evident, but that did not stop them from rejoicing like there is no tomorrow.
A man clothed in a red outfit was so out of control that he did not even give me a chance to reflect over my observations.
In Maner Sharif Dargah, 30 kilometres from Patna, a certain Rajendra Prasad Yadav, without being instructed to do so by anyone, was striving to organise the crowd. However, as I later found out, he was more interested in meeting Lalu Yadav than in the actual wedding. He told me:
I am an old RJD worker. I have been associated with Lalu Yadav since before Tej Pratap was even born. The wedding is fine, but what I want to do is meet Lalu ji and inquire about his health.
En Route Veterinary Ground
At around 7:30 in the evening, the wedding procession set off from the house. So I also had to reach the Veterinary Ground along with it.
Most other news organisations had different reporters spot covering it, but I decided to do it alone. The four kilometre walk to the destination was stuffy, hot and exhausting. Although, at one point, the CRPF jeep did give me a lift, but that was only for a kilometre.
After parading for about half an hour, when I reached the ground, I found that the pandal had been ravaged and the crowd was now focusing on the Jayamal stage. It was impossible to make way through a crowd, thicker than that of an election rally I had ever seen, and reach the stage.
It was then that someone told me that there is a VIP gate at a distance of one kilometre. I showed my press card and was allowed to pass through it.
Too many people were trying at once to clamber on to the stage. But the staircase leading onto it could not take the weight of so many people. After enduring their desperate attempts for a while, the staircase finally gave up. Former union Minister CP Thakur also suffered minor injury as the staircase broke.
Finally, amid all this hullabaloo, the bride Aishwarya Rai made her grand entrance. At this point, everyone just wanted to take pictures of her.
Nitish-Lalu Hug
Following the 2017 break up between RJD and JDU, Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav shared the stage for the first time. But that is not all. They even grinned and hugged each other. After giving their blessings to the couple, Nitish and Lalu went and sat down together on a sofa.
After the Jayamala, all the other ceremonies were to be conducted at the girl’s home on 5 circular road, where media was not allowed. But returning from the Veterinary ground was no less than a nightmare either. On my way back, I found dense congestion on the road. Horns were blaring from all direction, and owing to the thousands of people out on the roads, it was difficult to even walk. When I reached my hotel after a pilgrimage of five kilometre, I did not even have the energy to eat food.
But there is no doubt in the fact that despite the frenzy and the chaos, I am going to remember this political wedding for days to come.
(Translated by Mekhala Saran.)
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