Now fathom this: Not just Shiv-Parvati, even Ram-Sita was a love marriage couple

By Rajiv Shah

Following my recent blog in Counterview, A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe', some Hindu love marriage couples were quite excited. They said they were not aware of the myth (they considered it as historical truth) that they were in love and then got married -- and that, that's why Maha Shivratri is celebrated. One of them, who resisted their parents to get married four decades ago, phoned up from US, where they are settled, to find out whether what I had written was true. They were excited: this should be "our Valentine's Day."
Ironical though it may seem, two days after the Maha Shivratri, during our group trip to a top temple in Ahmedabad district, a discussion arose on love marriage. A young Hindu love marriage couple -- who rebelled to get married -- said, Shiv and Parvati were not the only love marriage couples in our ancient past. Ram and Sita were also love marriage couples -- Sita chose her husband at the swayamvar ceremony; and so were Krishna and Rukmini. "There was no arranged marriage in the past. This arranged marriage is imposed on us now, it is a new phenomenon, we disapprove it", they regretted.

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The farmer's burden: How oil, war, and climate are rewriting the price of food

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