50 horses, 7,000 guests to mark Tej Pratap’s wedding with Aishwarya Rai

As many as 50 horses and a whopping 7,000 guests will mark the big fat Bihari wedding of RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s son, in Patna on Saturday.

Scores of rooms in some new top hotels and guest houses have been booked to accommodate the host of VIPs and guests coming to attend the ceremony.

At least 30 rooms have been booked at Patliputra Continental, 25 at Hotel Amrapali Residency, 20 each at Hotel Maurya and Hotel Amalfi Grand and 10 at Hotel Frontline Residency, said a source close to the family. Hotel Chanakya, a premier hotel whose proprietors are named in the CBI’s FIR in the land-for-railway hotel scam, does not find mention in the hospitality list.

Tej Pratap will tie the nuptial knot with Aishwarya, daughter of party legislator Chandrika Rai, at the Bihar Veterinary College ground in the city on Saturday.

In a bid to appease the party’s first family and make the event memorable, RJD leaders across Bihar have been sending unique proposals and gifts.

Barhara legislator Saroj Yadav has announced to send 50 horses and mares to make the baraat (wedding procession) more attractive.

Aishwarya Rai during her mehendi ceremony in Patna. (PTI File Photo)

Despite his younger brother getting married on the same day, Saroj will be attending “Tej Pratap’s baraat with my herd of horses and mares”, the legislator said. Yadav’s aides were trying hard to assemble the horses and mares from various places in Barhara constituency and bring them to Patna on trucks.

The legislator, who has idolised Lalu and derives inspiration from him, said the wedding of the RJD chief’s elder son has filled in euphoria and enthusiasm among RJD supporters across the state.

Lalu Prasad’s family has gone the extra mile to ward off evil spirits during the wedding. On Friday, this was evident when lemon and green chillies in bundles were put up on the main gate of Lalu’s 10, Circular Road bungalow apart from flowers.

100 cooks to prepare dinner for 7,000 guests

Amritsari Kulcha, Agra’s Paratha and Bihar’s own litti-chokha will be highlights of the feast served to guests. As per the initial estimate, a Kanpur-based event management group, Bhatia Hotel Private Limited, has been told to prepare dinner for about 7,000 guests, with the possibility of the list getting longer.

Manoj Bhatia, who is looking after the catering arrangement, said over 100 experienced cooks and helpers staff from Punjab, UP and Bihar have been engaged to prepare the dishes with a taste of originality.

More than 100 food stalls would be set up to avoid chaos, while there will be separate arrangement for VVIPs in the pandal. Those craving for sweet dishes will have to be contented with imirtis, gulab jamuns and ice-cream, Bhatia said.

Bihar designer hired for wedding dresses

Tej Pratap will take his wedding vows in a nicely-cut kurta-pyjama, designed by Bihar-born fashion designer MA Rehman.

The former health minister wants to look elegant and simple during the wedding and so, has preferred kurta-pyjama over a designer sherwani or bandhgala. “We have stitched two sets of kurta-pyjama for Tej Pratap. One is sky blue with white pyjama while the other one is light brown with white pyjama,” said Rehman, who has stitched clothes of top politicians of the country, including Lalu Prasad.

A NIFT-Delhi graduate, the designer from Motihari, said the kurta and pyjama with pleats was an ideal dress for the hot weather.

The bridal wear of Aishwarya too is likely to be less gaudy and in light shades. Insiders said Rai’s family had done the shopping mostly in Patna and Delhi, picking up the bridal wear from local designers.

During her engagement on April 18, Aishwarya was dressed in an embroidered blue gown with duppata while Tej Pratap wore a bandhgala.

Tej Pratap’s younger brother and leader of the opposition in Bihar assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav will wear kurta and pyjama with a jawahar coat, also stitched by Rehman. He said he would be making the dresses for Lalu’s sons-in-law, including Tej Pratap Yadav, the husband of youngest daughter Raj Laxmi.