Two Odisha Administrative Services Toppers Set Example with Simple Wedding Ceremony

Bhubaneswar: Two Odisha Administrative Services (OAS) exam toppers of the 2020 batch set an example for others as they entered into wedlock in a simple ceremony on Tuesday evening.

Instead of band, baaja and baraat, the couple Ananya Shrusti Satpathy and Debrabrata Kar solemnised their marriage by exchanging garlands at the sub-registrar’s office, Bhubaneswar.

“The family members and relatives of both the OAS officers were present. Through the simple marriage, the OAS couple sent a message that marriage ceremonies need not be a lavish affair. The entire ceremony was far from the usual glittering weddings,” an official of the registrar’s office said.

The couple also chose to mark their marriage in a different way. They celebrated their marriage with orphan children. They treated them with delicious food.

In 2020, Ananya Shrusti Satpathy was ranked third in the OAS examination, while Debrabrata Kar secured fourth rank.

Questioned why he preferred a simple marriage to a lavish one, Debabrata Kar said, "Traditional marriages in the past were not expensive. In the course of time, commercial interests affected everything under the impact of capitalism. Weddings became an affair of glitz and glamour. Sadly, lavish weddings made things difficult for many families having girl children.”

He added that this simple marriage can send a message that weddings can be inexpensive and there is no need for costly decorations and heavy spending.

Anaya said, “I never wanted a marriage that would make our families go through mental agony. The important message of this marriage is to get the love and blessings of families and relatives. There is no need to make the marriage pompous and grandiose.”

She added that nowadays, after the birth of a girl child, a family starts fretting about her marriage.

“The mindset of many people has become such that they start investing more in her marriage than her education. After seeing this simple marriage, my siblings and relatives will think of simple weddings rather than expensive ones,” she observed.