Maya Nagvekar breathes deeply, closes her eyes and tosses a handful of rice over her head and onto the floor behind her; the ceremony is in full swing.
But unlike her previous wedding -- Maya is a widow -- she is surrounded by media persons, television actors and producers.
While Maya and her husband Mukeshi Modi exchange vows and participate in the rituals, their traditional Rajasthani ceremony is interrupted by the steady din of shutter clicks, bright flashes and cameramen shouting as they jostle for position.
The germ of this idea -- for a widow to get married on the set of the popular television series Solhah Singaarr -- started with a letter Maya wrote to the show's producers, Jay and Kinnari Mehtaa.
"At the crux of our serial, Solhah Singaarr, is the shameful treatment of widows in India," says Kinnari.
"So, when Maya contacted us, shared her story and expressed her support for the cause, that's when the wheels began turning. We were planning a celebration for our 200th episode, and we thought this would be a wonderful gesture.
"We approached matrimonial sites, NGOs and put ads in the newspapers," Kinnari continues. "The managing director of a matrimonial site, Mukesh Modi -- a divorcee himself -- expressed his desire to meet Maya. A meeting was arranged and it fructified into a marriage proposal."
Image: Maya and Mukesh pose with television star Mrinal Kulkarni
Text and photographs: Matthew Schneeberger
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