Skip the Merc, I'll take the doli

MUMBAI: It seems to be the season of 'Doli sajaake rakhna'. No, we aren't referring to the wedding season or even the popular 'Dilwale Dulhaniya' number that is such an integral part of marriage celebrations. We are referring to the latest flavour at the great Indian wedding—the use of a palanquin for the sending off of the bride.
As cash-rich businessmen try to recreate royal ways of opulence, old rituals and ceremonies are being injected with fresh life.Take businessman Bankim Doshi for instance, who chose to have a traditional wedding for daughter Anjani at a club in Chembur last week. "I wanted to give a touching farewell to my beloved daughter. The palkhi shouldered by her brothers and maternal uncles injected the feelings of pain and pride of a daughter or a sister being sent away," says Doshi who skipped the flower-decked Merc in favour of a heavily decorated doli.
A doli is a box enclosure made of wood with a pole projecting from each side, borne on the shoulders of bearers. It was often used to transport the warrior class and the nobility and is mentioned in Indian literature as early as the Ramayana. Today, various models are mentioned in the catalogues of wedding planners.
Decorator and wedding planner Nikhil Bhide has various models of dolis on rental offer, with the cost ranging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 18,000 for an event. "Though it is such an old-fashioned thing, I have noticed young couples wanting a pal-khi for their weddings," says Bhide. Wedding planner Nitinn Raichura agrees. "Of the 30 weddings I've planned this season, at least four clients wanted a doli farewell," he says.
Non-resident Indians have a large role to play in the emergence of the palanquin. "NRIs mostly prefer themed weddings and the theme invariably is traditional Indian. Having lived abroad, they want the most of Indian culture during their weddings. So the doli is a hit among them," adds Raichura. Needless to say, songs like 'Doli sajaake rakhna' and 'Palki mein hoke sawaar chali main' from Khalnayak add to the atmosphere.
Though the tradition does not go to the extent of the bride being taken all the way to the groom's house in a doli. "The bride is carried for around 50 m after which she gets off to get into a car," says Raichura. And the palkhi is carried by decked-up bearers who are paid handsomely for the 15 minutes of work.
There are some who find the idea cumbersome and to an extent gimmicky. "When people have the world's best cars to show off, why will they hire a doli? Firstly, it doesn't look snazzy and it's not safe. The girl is absolutely exhausted after the seven pheras and rona-dhona during the bidaai and then she has to embark on a wobbly journey. Cars are more comfortable," says Gurlien Manchanda who has organised weddings for people like actor Zayed Khan, Tanya Godrej and the Popleys.
However, Tejal Kadakia, who organised a couple of doli weddings last year, says it's all a matter of personal preference. "It's something rooted in our tradition," she says, adding that it really adds to the occasion when a doli is decorated as per the mandap's colour scheme. "Besides, it can be very comfortable when it's lined with cushioned mattresses inside and trained men carry it."