One of the world’s quirkiest weddings is taking place on Sunday in India’s Tamil Nadu state when a young man called Socialism marries Mamata Banerjee in the presence of his close relatives, Communism, Leninism and their little nephew, Marxism.
Socialism is a 25-year-old businessman from a village in Salem and his bride P Mamata Banerjee, 19, is an English literature graduate from the same village.
The two are set to exchange wedding vows on Sunday.
The couple's wedding invitation in Tamil, with hammer-and-sickle emblems stamped on the top, has gone viral on social media.
"We are flooded with congratulatory messages. We are getting calls from Dubai, Russia and even America. People are surprised to know our names but are happy for us," Socialism told The National.
Socialism was named by his father A Mohan, 55, a local politician with the Communist Party of India, and his wife M Lakshmi, both staunch leftists who gave all the three sons the red-tinged names reflecting their ideology.
Their first son is named Communism and second son Leninism. Mr Mohan has named his five-month-old grandson Marxism and hopes to name his future granddaughter ‘Cubaism’.
“After the Soviet Union was dissolved, people were saying that communism has fallen and the ideology won’t prosper anywhere in the world. There was a news clip with regards to this and at that time, my wife gave birth to my elder son,” Mr Mohan told local media.
"I decided immediately to name him communism as I believed that as long as the human race exists, communism won't fall."
P Mamata Banerjee was named by her grandfather after the powerful chief minister of West Bengal state. She recently defeated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing party in state elections.
While Socialism was teased by boys in school, he is elated with his newfound fame.
“I was teased for my name but in college, friends with leftist ideology accepted me. Since the wedding invitation, it is surprising that I have now become popular...I am very happy,” said Socialism.
The wedding will take place at Socialism’s ancestral home and will be attended by 100 guests including people from the Russian embassy.
Hindu weddings are elaborate ceremonies but for the couple, it will be a one-minute ceremony with Socialism tying a sacred thread around Banerjee’s neck. No other Hindu rituals will be followed.
In southern India, many parents with Left-wing leanings name their children after famous politicians and communist leaders. Names like Lenin, Karl Marx, and Stalin – the last being the name of the state’s current chief minister, are common.
