It is reportedly part of an old tradition.
With monsoons stopping in its track in various parts of the country, many people are getting extremely impatient. As timely monsoon is directly related to livelihood of large section of the people in the country, especially those in rural places. And desperate times often call for desperate measures.
According to reports, in Madhya Pradesh two frogs were married off in order to please the rain god. BJP Minister of state Lalita Yadav was in attendance when the ceremony took place in Madhya Pradesh's Chattarpur city. Speaking to ANI, Madhya Pradesh Minister of state for women and child development said, "We have prayed to god for rain in drought-hit Bundelkhand region and for the welfare of our farmers".
According to HT, BJP leaders had organised Ashad Utsav, where post 'marriage' of the two frogs, a grand fest was organised. The temple priest was quoted as saying that it is part of an old tradition meant to please the God. However, the opposition is not too pleased with such a show and accused Yadav of promoting superstition and not doing her job of providing water to the parched areas. The report quotes Lalita Yadav as saying. " It is not superstition but a logical tradition which is necessary to balance the environment which is made up of five elements. The drought is a result of disturbance in the environment".
Another similar ceremony took place in Varanasi. However here, inspite of real frogs toy versions were used. As per the organisers, the ceremony was arranged to please Indra, the god of rain, as per Hindu mythology, in return for a much-needed respite from soaring temperatures. "We want rainfall in the city. It's an old belief that the wedding of frogs makes Indra Dev happy. We have been affected by the blistering heat. It is raining everywhere but not in Varanasi. So, we organised this wedding, requesting Indra Dev to hasten the arrival of monsoon in the city," an organiser told ANI.
The two plastic frogs were kept on decorated plates with garlands around the 'newlyweds'. Two persons dressed themselves up as the bride and bridegroom. A priest was performing a hawan (special offering) to solemnise the frogs' marriage. A huge number of people who had gathered for this unusual wedding were seen dancing to the beats of a drum and enjoying the rare occasion.
With ANI inputs
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