In this episode, my guest Dheeraj Varanasi and I talk about some of the basic rites, rituals, and traditions involved in a traditional South Indian Hindu wedding. There is no way we could cover everything, but this covers many of the essentials, and is designed for non-Indians who know little to nothing about these weddings and want to learn more. For extra resources to further your study, head to Patreon. This episode is sponsored by Stride K12 Powered Schools. For more information, head to K12.com/wiserworld. A transcript for this episode is found here. ---- Vocabulary from this episode with some links for further information and images: Jeelakarra-Bellam - cumin and jaggery paste tradition Mangalsutra - thread tying Saptapadi - 7 steps Twin Star System Mythology Sindoor - sometimes called Vermillion, this red powder is often used in Hindu traditions, and is sometimes placed along the hairline of women to show they are married. ---- Bio on Dheeraj I am Dheeraj Varanasi, hailing from Hyderabad, India. I am a research engineer by profession trying to blend academic research with always short-on-time industry. I am currently working at Leica Biosystems, Germany as Sr. Blade Engineer, in the domain of healthcare and cancer diagnostics.  I moved to Hungary in 2016 to pursue my PhD in Materials Science. I defended my thesis in 2021 (Summa Cum Laude) followed by a post-doctoral position for 2 years at Academy of Sciences Hungary. I published in total 11 scientific papers and have submitted a patent application (submitted, it's a long process :P).  I am an avid traveller, having been across the whole of Europe, Morocco, parts of the USA totaling to about 31 countries to date. I am a sports fanatic especially for football, tennis and field hockey and try to support my favorite teams/athletes by traveling to stadiums across the world.  Besides work, I play tennis on the weekends and am learning Violin. A small pipe dream is to play as a street performer someday and donate whatever I collect for charity.  I read a lot on History, science and politics and am confident to hold conversations in 5 languages.  ---- This podcast is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Visit airwavemedia.com to learn about other fantastic history and education-centric shows that are created for curious, thoughtful people. Please contact [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wiserworldpodcast/ Website (sign up for email newsletter): https://wiserworldpodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices