Radhika Merchant celebrates ‘mameru’ before wedding to Anant Ambani. Know all about this Gujarati tradition

Radhika Merchant, fiancée of Anant Ambani, celebrated her mameru ceremony yesterday, a pre-wedding ritual steeped in Gujarati tradition. This ceremony signifies the blessings bestowed upon the couple by the bride’s maternal family.

According to HimanshuRay H. Raval, Gujarati linguist and poet, the mameru ceremony has been a rich part of Gujarati culture for a long time and was devised to convey that “the bride’s family is one.”

For this joyous occasion, where the bride’s maternal relatives, especially her ‘mama’, from who the name of the ceremony comes from, gather to shower the bride-to-be with blessings and gifts. This tradition emphasised the importance of family and the strength of the bonds in the bride’s family.

During the ceremony, gifts like clothes, jewellery, and sweets are exchanged, followed by a feast and celebration.

Raval said it is important for the mama (the bride’s mother’s brother) to be present for the ceremony as he is the one who bestows these gifts on the bride. Gifts like pahonchi, which is a ring given to the bride, and the bridal gharchola, which would become the outfit for the bride to be wedded in, are given by the mama, basically the bride’s mother’s side of the family.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Varinder Chawla (@varindertchawla) 

The mameru is also performed during a boy’s ‘janeu’ ceremony, which follows the same pattern, explained Raval.

Nowadays the bridal mameru also involves the groom’s mother’s side of the family, like in the Ambanis’ case, but they’re not traditionally a part of it, said Raval.

For her mameru, Radhika Merchant turned heads in a custom-made bandhini lehenga by designer Manish Malhotra. The stunning lehenga featured a vibrant Rani pink hue, crafted from luxurious Banarasi brocade. This rich fabric provided a base for the intricate Bandhani prints, a traditional Gujarati technique known for its intricate patterns created through tie-dyeing. The 35 meters of Bandhani fabric used in the lehenga skirt created a visually captivating effect.

The exquisite gold zardosi taar embroidery added a touch of opulence, while the borders of the lehenga featured a unique and meaningful detail – embroidery of the Durga Maa shloka. This addition imbued the outfit with a sense of spirituality and auspiciousness.

Some Bollywood celebrities were also in attendance at the ceremony. Janhvi Kapoor attended with her rumoured beau Shikhar Pahariya. Manushi Chhillar and Orry were also present.

Check out the rest of our coverage of the Ambani wedding here. 

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.