Gurugram groom arranges ‘helicopter palanquin’ for bride

Amid raging debates over demonetisation, black money and a withdrawal limit of Rs 2.5 lakh for weddings, a man in Gurugram has arranged a “helicopter palanquin” to bring home his wife on Thursday.

The groom -- Vinod Vats, 25 -- is slated to bring his wife Lalita in a helicopter that would double up as palanquin. He got permission from the authorities to fly and land the private chopper in Gurugram’s jurisdiction.

Vinod’s father, Babu Lal Vats, who works with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), had planned his youngest son’s (Vinod) marriage in a different manner. He is a resident of Dundahera in Gurugram.

Vinod Vats works with the accounts department of a private firm in Bhiwadi in Rajasthan.

Sharing his views on demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, Vinod told IANS: “I am very much happy with the demonetisation step taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This will surely help common people and country in the future.”

He said “though people have been facing problems to get cash but scraping high-value currency is a historic decision which was much needed, it will be proved strong action against fake and black money”.

“We are four brothers and I am the youngest, my father wishes to make my wedding memorable and our family decided to hire a helicopter,” the groom said.

The baraat (procession) will depart for the bride’s village of Aklimpur near Badshahpur, around 20 km from Dundahera, late Wednesday evening, with the groom riding an SUV Range Rover.

“The helicopter of a private company has been booked for at least two hours on November 24 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and rental amount of over Rs 2 lakh has been paid by cheque,” the groom’s friend Pawan Kumar told IANS.

A makeshift helipad has been built in the government school ground in Aklimpur and the chopper will land in Sector 21 near Palam Vihar with the newly-married couple.