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    Hindu priestesses fight the patriarchy, one Indian wedding at a time

    The priestesses are part of a feminist push to make Hinduism more inclusive. Some have begun officiating at Indian weddings stripped of patriarchal traditions: No more "donating" brides to in-laws.
    by Lauren Frayer Oct 15, 2021 4 minutes
    Sharmistha Chaudhuri (center, wearing pink), 35, at her wedding in Kolkata, India, in January 2020. Chaudhuri found some Indian wedding traditions retrograde, so she hired four feminist priestesses to officiate at hers. They performed a multilingual, egalitarian ceremony stripped of patriarchal traditions.

    KOLKATA, India — When Sharmistha Chaudhuri decided to get married in her native India, she faced a dilemma.

    Chaudhuri, 35, is a PR professional in Austin, Texas. She's independent, educated and has traveled the world. She wanted her wedding to reflect her liberal values and the equal partnership she has with her American fiancé.

    But Chaudhuri found some Indian wedding traditions patriarchal. Hindu weddings are usually officiated by male priests. The bride's parents "donate" her to her in-laws. It's typically only the bride, not the groom, who prays for her new family's longevity — and gets her forehead anointed with colored powder to signify she's married.

    "I just knew that I didn't want to do this," Chaudhuri recalls. "It was more like, 'How can we do something

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