India's First Sologamy Marriage: Woman Weds Herself Despite Backlash - Video

Kshama Bindu has gone viral for marrying herself using a Hindu wedding ritual, marking the first sologamy marriage in India.

Bindu, who is from Gujarat, wished to set an example of self-love by marrying herself.

In a video that is doing the rounds on the internet, Bindu can be seen dancing with the bridesmaid and also doing the sacred ritual of tying the mangalsutra which is a neckpiece tied by the groom around his bride’s neck on the wedding day as per Hindu tradition.

She shared a glimpse of her pre-wedding ceremonies on Instagram in which she could be seen smeared in haldi (turmeric) and posing with mehendi (henna tattoo) on her hands -- a part of Hindu marriage rituals.

When Bindu made the headlines last week for her decision to have a sologamy marriage, she faced a lot of backlash online. Some social media users said that self-marriage was against Hinduism, others called it a "stupid" move. Similarly, the young woman has faced criticism from politicians, both from the federally governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the country's main opposition party, Congress.

Congress politician Milind Deora took to Twitter to describe sologamy as another example of "wokeness", bordering on insanity.

BJP politician Sunita Shukla earlier told the ANI news agency that such marriages could reduce the Hindu population, thus Bindu would not be allowed to marry herself at any temple.

There were those, however, who came forward to support Bindu in her decision to marry herself.

Despite mounting criticism, Bindu decided to marry herself in the presence of a Hindu priest in Harihareshwar Mahadev Temple in Mahuva, Gujarat.

Expressing gratitude for the encouragement and support that she has received, Bindu said in a video posted on Facebook*, “I would like to thank everyone who has messaged me and congratulated me and gave me the power to fight for what I believed in.”

The concept of sologamy is quite new to the world. The first news of sologamy that caught the headlines was made by Sophie Tanner, 42, in 2015, when she wedded herself in a Brighton ceremony after a bad relationship.

In September 2017, 40-year-old Italian fitness trainer Laura Mesi married herself. According to a Telegraph report, although she didn't rule out eventually marrying another person, she felt her happiness did not depend on finding a man.