Love beyond Boundaries: Russian Man weds Ukrainian Girlfriend with Indian traditions in Dharamshala

Akshat Tiwari

Sergei Novikov, a Russian now an Israeli citizen, married Elona Bramoka, a Ukraine girl, at Divya Ashram in Dharamshala on August 2. The marriage created a sensation on social media as Russia and Ukraine are at war these days. The marriage was solemnised with Hindu rituals. The couple was happy that locals participated and danced in the ceremony. Kangri Dham, the traditional food of Kangra, was cooked and served to the guests. The couple was known to each other and decided to marry.
The bride and groom were decked in a traditional Indian garb with Sergei donning a kurta pyjama, achkan, pagdi and sehra, and Elona wearing a lehnga-choli and red embroidered dupatta. As the couple took seven vows, while taking seven circumambulations around the sacred fire, a translator told them the meaning of the rituals and hymns.
They took an active interest in the hymns being recited by Pandit Raman Sharma, who, with the help of a translator, made the couple grasp the meaning of every "mantra" being recited by him. Fellow foreign visitors at their spiritual treat reportedly attended the wedding as well and are said to have loved the rituals.