24-Year-Old Woman To Marry Herself In Traditional Indian Ceremony, Calls it 'Act of Self-acceptance'

People everywhere are becoming more focused on self-love and bending age-old traditions to suit the person they are today.

One 24-year-old is taking her self-love one step further and plans on marrying herself! Kshama Bindu plans on having a traditional Indian wedding ceremony with the person she loves the most in the world: Kshama Bindu. The ceremony will feature many traditional elements including sindoor (a red colored cosmetic powder usually sported by married women along the front part of their hairline) and pheras ( a tradition where the couple moves seven rounds around a holy fire). She has even written five vows for herself for the occasion. The wedding is set to take place on June 11... and that's not all. The soon-to-be-married woman has also chalked up honeymoon plans and will be leaving for a two-week trip to Goa once married.

This is likely to be the first self-marriage or sologamy in the Indian state of Gujarat. “I never wanted to get married. But I did want to become a bride. So, I decided to marry myself. Maybe, I am the first to set an example of self-love in our country,” Kshama told TOI.   “Self-marriage is a commitment to be there for yourself and unconditional love for oneself. It’s also an act of self-acceptance. People marry someone they love. I love myself and hence, this wedding,” added Kshama, who works with a private firm. To those who criticize her or call her ceremony irrelevant all she has to say is that "what I am actually trying to portray is that women matter,” she said.  The bride-to-be's parents are open-minded and have already given their blessings.

Sologamy, or marrying oneself, is now gaining popularity among women. 40-year-old Nneka Carter a cosmetologist and fitness instructor told Insider that she married herself in a surprise ceremony in Tampa, Florida, surrounded by 40 friends and family members.  "The pandemic reminded me that I just need me to be happy," she said. "I didn't want to feel alone or lonely because I didn't have a companion, or I wasn't in a relationship." Other experts have weighed in saying that there has been a rise in the concept of self-love and self-discovery ever since the pandemic hit. "With increased time spent at home alone, individuals have opted for new methods to appreciate themselves and enhance self-compassion," said Ieva Kubiliute, a psychologist in Los Angeles. "Conducting a sologamy ceremony can be the perfect way to enhance self-compassion and appreciate yourself in the best way possible." Is this something you would ever consider doing?

References:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vadodara/24-year-old-to-marry-herself-in-gujarats-first-sologamy/articleshow/91950199

https://www.insider.com/women-marrying-themselves-sologamy-pandemic-self-love-covid-2022-3

Representational Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Marco VDM