Out Cold: Groom faints, bride walks away from Deogarh wedding

Dumka: The biting cold knocked out the groom and the bride walked out in a huff.
Bizarre it may sound but this is exactly how a marriage planned months in advance with huge fanfare ended in Deoghar.
The much talked about wedding ceremony in Deoghar took an unexpected turn when the bride refused to go ahead with the marriage after the groom fainted during rituals, apparently unable to handle plummeting temperatures in the Santhal Pargana region.
Turns out, Arnav Kumar, 28, from Ghormara was complaining about howling cold winds in an open-air mandap on Sunday night as the temperature hovered around the 8 Degree Celsius mark. The combination of winter chill and day-long fasting apparently led to his unconsciousness, doctors who attended him later said.
Ankita, 25, the bride from Bihar's Bhagalpur district, however saw it differently and claimed the groom's inability to withstand the cold was a sign of underlying health issues and decided to call off the wedding.
Witnesses said the wedding preparation had begun smoothly at a private garden in Ghormara, with the bride's family arriving in traditional festive spirit. Initial ceremonies, including the var mala (garland exchange), proceeded without any issues, despite the cold weather.
"The guests from both families had dinner after the varmala ceremony while the couple remained in the open-sided mandap," quipped a staff member at Sukhari Mandal banquet hall.
The situation took a dramatic turn when Arnav began shivering and lost consciousness as the priest started reciting wedding mantras before the pheras (ceremonial rounds). Later, a local doctor successfully revived the groom, but Ankita had already decided against the marriage and walked out from the sacred altar.
Despite persuasion from both families, the bride stayed put and the baraat returned on Monday morning without the bride.
"This incident has become a talking point in the local community with people talking about challenges of conducting winter weddings in open venues during extreme weather conditions," said a local resident, who was at the feast.