Tying the Perfect Knot

A Practical Guide to Beautiful Hindu Weddings

By: Padmakar Gangatirkar

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Length: 4 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

"Tying the Knot", a western phrase for getting married, has been practiced in the Hindu weddings for thousands of years. Their wedding rituals involve "binding" the couple with various knots; physically, mentally and spiritually.

"Tying the Knot" may appear to be a simple procedure but getting there requires a lot of thorough planning and excellent management. The Hindu Weddings, especially in western countries, are a fusion of multiple cultures, religions, races, traditions and customs. Add to that the intergenerational differences! To make a beautiful Hindu wedding happen requires a great balancing of all those factors and bridging of different views and approaches between all the parties involved.

In addition to the couple and the parents, it takes a tremendous number of dedicated people to conduct a successful wedding! In this book, the author, a pragmatic Hindu priest, discusses his unique perspectives of how to officiate a perfect wedding ceremony and plan other events suitable to modern demographics in a practical and in an all-inclusive way based on his more than 20 years of experience.

In this book, the parents are first generation Indians, born and brought up in India but now settled in the US. The bride, groom, or both are second generation Indians, born and raised in the western culture. Their parents may come from different parts of the world, may have different cultures, different customs, traditions, and even different faiths. Unlike their parents who were most likely married by arranged marriage system, the present brides and the grooms have found their own partners with whom they want to tie the knot by traditional Hindu rituals but custom tailored to their views and their audience.

Many Hindu priests, very proficient in wedding rituals, conduct the weddings in the traditional Hindu way. Those ceremonies may lack the formality or discipline required for the present day demographics in the western cultural setting. Although full of depth and spirituality, these ceremonies may be too regional, too long and yes, some times non-interesting, allowing socialization among the guests throughout the ceremony.

That is why, the couple, the parents and the priests need a practical guide on how to work together to conduct the most beautiful Hindu wedding in any part of the world. This book offers exactly that guide with a systematic approach, from planning to completion, based on the author's experience of officiating more than 175 ceremonies in America and elsewhere and the feedback from the couples, parents, wedding planners and attending guests. The author's custom ceremonies still include all the authentic rituals but he delivers them in an interesting, logical, and meaningful way by creatively connecting with the attendees. This results in a pin-drop silence, serenity and sanctity that your wedding ceremony deserves. He focuses not just on the ceremony but also discusses the Hindu philosophy behind those rituals.

This book should be helpful to the engaged couples, their parents, wedding planners, invited guests and anybody else who is interested in Hindu Weddings.