Love in times of war: It takes Kangra to unite Russia, Ukraine

Shimla: Amid the Russia-Ukraine war, Russian-Israeli Sergei Novikov on Tuesday married his Ukrainian girlfriend Elona Bramoka at Khaniyara’s Divya Ashram Kharota near Dharamshala according to the traditions of Sanatan Dharama.To make the couple feel at home, the locals performed all their rituals and dances at the wedding to the beat of folk songs. The arrangement of Kangri dham (traditional feast) gave a happy ending to this “videshi shaadi in desi style”. Sergei of Russian origin has now taken Israeli nationality and for the last few years, he was in love with Elona, love that even a war couldn’t change. They chose Dharamshala to the be wedding venue for its serenity.Pandit Sandeep Sharma of Divya Ashram Kharota told TOI that: “Sergei and Elona are staying at Dharamkot near Dharamshala for the last one year, with a family that made all the arrangements for their wedding, too. Pandit Raman Sharma from our ashram solemnised their marriage and told them about its sacred sanctity under the Sanatan Dharma traditions,” he said.Host Vinod Sharma and his family performed all the marriage rituals, including the “kanyadan” of Elona. Foreign tourists of Dharamkot were enamoured by the rituals, the sight of Sergei and Elona in traditional Indian wedding attire, and the Sanskrit hymns being chanted by Pandit Raman Sharma, who had a translator to make the couple understand the essence of every mantra.After the rituals, the guests danced to the tunes of a traditional pahari band before enjoying Kangri dham. Raman Sharma said: “I was nice to see a foreign couple interested in the Indian wedding traditions. Sandeep said: “Two months ago, an Englishman wed a Haryanvi.”