As a lover of history and cultural geography, I like to think of myself as a fairly open-minded person. The kind who tries, if not embracing other viewpoints, then at least making room in my own perspective for them.

Then there are times when, despite my best efforts, I just can’t help thinking that some cultures are so radically different from my own that I’ll never in a thousand years be able to comprehend them.

Take, for instance, the traditional Hindu marriage ceremony of P. Selvakumar and his new bride. That’s her in the picture. As you may have noticed, she’s a bitch… and I mean that in the literal sense. That’s right: he married a dog.

It seems that 15 years ago or so, Selvakumar stoned two dogs to death then hung them in the tree. Now, on the advice of an astrologer, he’s atoning for his crime by wedding a stray dog selected for him by his family.

After the wedding, the happy couple shared a meal. Sort of. Selvakumar joined his family for a feast. The dog ate a bun.

Unfortunately, there’s no indication where the happy couple is registered, so I guess I won’t be sending them matching water bowls.

Tuesday, November 13th, 2007, 3:27 pm   |   Odd Bites  |  RSS feed Comments and pings are currently closed.