There were rumors that the BJP chief Amit Shah has suggested his party leaders not to attend the wedding ceremony of Gali Janardhan Reddy the mining baron’s daughter.
But some local BJP leaders like Yeddurappa were present. First it was the invitation from Gali which attracted the public and now it is the note ban which is making news, pondering as to how Gali was managing the show.
Dozens of priests were seen moving around the groom and Mr Reddy’s daughter, Brahmani reciting the hymns and giving the blessings. The flowers decorating the mandpam and hung around the tent itself must have cost more than most of the weddings.
Hundreds of musicians and hundreds of dancers were present during the procession and Galis family travelled in a chariot with all decoration and waved to the public on the way. Both the families of the wedding party had two different chariots .
A model of the huge idol of Lord Balaji of the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam was drawing huge crowds. Before his arrest for corruption in illegal iron ore mining deals, Gali had donated a diamond crown worth 45 crores to TTD. A Ganapathi statue was installed where the family members offered the puja. .
There is news that Gali is paying the expenditure of wedding with the help of cheques and also collecting bills for the same. Some IT sleuths were also present at the wedding watching things, so that they can assess the situation.
Money was a big question surrounding this wedding – with estimates over the expenditure never dropping below 30 crores and touching 500 crores, as quoted by politicians in parliament today. Attention-grabbing at any time. But particularly when Indians are struggling for cash after the ban on Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes.
Bouncers in black kept the milling crowds at bay – particularly when political stars like B.S. Yeddyurappa of the BJP or Puneeth Rajkumar of the Kannada film world appeared.
But VIPs also had to push to get into the actual tent where the wedding was taking place. A line of smartly-dressed young men and women were greeters, smiling and slinging namastes to all who entered.
At the stage where the rituals were happening, another set of bouncers tried – not always successfully – to keep at bay those not recognized as VIPs.
A peep into the dining hall, which seated hundreds where food was served on banana leaves showed the rush. As people sat and ate, there were others standing right behind their chairs, leaning over them – waiting for them to finish to take their place. The servings included cuisine from all over the country. The guests just enjoyed the food unlimited. The photos of the wedding are going viral on the social media so far.
Baskin Robbins ice cream stalls had the attendance of VVIPs also.
