Bengaluru: Weddings are special all over the world. But they are a little more special in India. A union of two families and generally a huge celebration. It is also a status symbol; your arrangements reflect your class and place in society. Therefore, the grander your wedding, the more talked aboutyou are. But here is a list of five unusual weddings that happened in India, which became a talking point for the rest of the community, for all the right reasons.

Farmers committing suicides have been making headlines for a long time. Abhay Deware and Priti Kumbhare took the opportunity of their wedding to extend help to the farmers’ families. Instead of a mindless lavish wedding, they spent their wedding money on the education of children of farmers who committed suicide.

It was very bold of Ramnath and Shruthi from Wayanad, young activists of Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP), to invite Sheethal Shyam, a transgender activist and Secretary of Sexual Minorities Form, Kerala (SMFK), to sign as a witness at their wedding held at the Sub-Registrar’s Office. This made a huge social statement of inclusion.

It is unusual for a new bride to want anything else other than gold ornaments. But if her demand is for plant saplings, it comes as a pleasant surprise. She is a true ambassador of the ‘green’ drive. The couple planted 10,000 saplings after their wedding.

It takes courage and conviction to break age-old traditions and myths. So, when Jitendra Patel invited 18,000 widows to his son’s wedding, squashing all myths of them bringing bad luck to weddings, it became an inspiration for everyone.

If each one of us step up for our environment, then we will make it liveable again. And there are many who would celebrate their special day in a special way. Shasvathi Siva and Karthik Krishnan had a green wedding–minimum use of plastics with edible cutlery.