Mysore/Mysuru:  A bureaucrat set a rare precedent by entering wedlock in a simple ceremony organised at a private hotel in the city on Nov. 26, celebrated across the country as ‘Constitution Day’.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Chamarajanagar Geetha Hudeda married M.R. Harish Kumar, who is pursuing LLB, by solemnising their relationship through RashtrakaviKuvempu’s ‘Mantra Mangalya’ concept. Prior to this, the couple offered floral tributes to portraits of Buddha, Basava and Ambedkar before exchanging the garlands.

Hudeda and Kumar were working as teachers at a school in Kengal village in Sindhanur taluk, Raichur district, when they became friends, before falling in love with each other.

As Hudeda’s parents are no more, her uncle former soldier ChennabasappaHudeda and aunt Lakshmi and Kumar’s parents G. Rudrappa and mother Parvathamma blessed the bride and groom.

Writer Kum. Veerabhadrappa, popular as ‘Kum Vee’ in literary circle, administered the oath of ‘Mantra Mangalya’, along with the ‘Preamble of the Constitution.’ Recalling his marriage defying tradition, Veerabhadrappa said: “I married during Rahukala without any priest to perform rituals in the year 1983. I have even conducted all my three daughters marriage in a similar way and all are doing well. You should also conduct marriages through VachanaMangalya or Mantra Mangalya and defy Vedic tradition.”

Veerabhadrappa also lauded Hudeda, a native of Konchigeri, Shirahatti taluk in Gadag and Kumar of Maradihalli, Hiriyur taluk of Chitradurga district, for bridging the gap between two regions.

G. Prabhu and VasanthMadhav sang songs on the significance of marriage. MLAs A.R. Krishna Murthy and H.M. Ganesh Prasad, former MLAs N. Mahesh, S. Balaraj and C.S. Niranjan Kumar,  Chamarajanagar DC Shilpa Nag, MysuruZilla Panchayat CEO K.M. Gayathri, Shankar Devanur, Dr.Madev Bharani and Director, Centre of Excellence for Studies in Classical Kannada (CESCK) Dr.Nilgiri M. Talwar were present.