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Hindu bride Radhika and Sikh groom Gurvinder must compromise to honour two cultures. And Harmeek and Sukpreet are having an arranged marriage, but will they find love afterwards?

A documentary series that provides a unique perspective into the religious ceremonies and lifelong commitments that take place in New Zealand through arranged marriages. For some, the journey to finding their spouse is extensive. Witness the course taken by both families and individuals as they search, often across continents, for their suitable partner, and make their biggest life commitment in saying 'I do'.

Primary Title
  • Arranged
Date Broadcast
  • Saturday 31 March 2018
Start Time
  • 16 : 00
Finish Time
  • 17 : 00
Duration
  • 60:00
Series
  • 2
Episode
  • 2
Channel
  • Three
Broadcaster
  • MediaWorks Television
Programme Description
  • A documentary series that provides a unique perspective into the religious ceremonies and lifelong commitments that take place in New Zealand through arranged marriages. For some, the journey to finding their spouse is extensive. Witness the course taken by both families and individuals as they search, often across continents, for their suitable partner, and make their biggest life commitment in saying 'I do'.
Episode Description
  • Hindu bride Radhika and Sikh groom Gurvinder must compromise to honour two cultures. And Harmeek and Sukpreet are having an arranged marriage, but will they find love afterwards?
Classification
  • G
Owning Collection
  • Chapman Archive
Broadcast Platform
  • Television
Languages
  • English
Captioning Languages
  • English
Captions
Live Broadcast
  • No
Rights Statement
  • Made for the University of Auckland's educational use as permitted by the Screenrights Licensing Agreement.
Subjects
  • Television programs--New Zealand
  • Arranged marriage
Genres
  • Documentary
Before getting married, we're not over meeting each other, which gonna keep, you know, that juicy part alive. The quest for love isn't always easy. Finding a groom is worse than looking for a job. But what happens when love comes after marriage... In our tradition, girls never have romance before the marriage. ...and your family has the final say over who you marry? So, before the marriage, will you allow the girl to talk with the boy? I had no idea who she was. I was ready to say no. But when I saw him, I said yes. (PEOPLE CHEER) Meet the Kiwis who are putting their tradition first and their parents in charge of choosing Mr or Mrs Right. We thought that it would be a major drama with two cultures coming in together. Copyright Able 2018 30-year-old pharmacist Gurvinder has been more than happy to follow with Sikh tradition and let his mother find him a wife through arranged marriage. In my family, everyone got arranged married. That's how it happens in our culture. But now that he has met Radhika, who follows the Hindu faith, things are getting a whole lot more complicated. My family, they always gave me a choice. If I have someone in mind, I will just openly put it to them. But I never thought that I'd marry a Sikh boy. Inter-faith marriage is unusual in Indian culture, but in two weeks' time, Sikh Gurvinder will marry Hindu Radhika. I'm nervous about becoming a wife. Moving into a new family, trying to adapt to their culture. I'm moving from my comfort zone into another zone, where things are very different. And this match is far from the arrangement Gurvinder's mother had planned for him. My mum was looking for the girl more than a year. She asked me so many times to get married, so I went searching for the girls, like everyone does. Hello. Hi. Hey, Radhika. How are you? Good. While his mother continued to search for a Sikh wife, Radhika and Gurvinder began working together and struck up a friendship. When I first met him, my initial thoughts for him was that he's a workaholic, to be honest, because he was at work all the time. But it wasn't until Gurvinder travelled to India to meet with potential wives that he realised that he was falling for Radhika. It was just in friend zone. Yeah, friend zone, when he went back to India. It was cool that time. It was like, 'Yeah, OK, you're checking out chicks, so it's fine.' (BOTH LAUGH) When I went to India and was looking for the girl, you know, no one clicked with me. Half of my mind was still in New Zealand, or heart was still in New Zealand. I think when he was gone, that's when I think it triggered. Yeah. Despite coming from different religions, they declared their love for each other. But they knew there would be no wedding without their parents' approval. So it was love first and then the family jumped in, so made it arranged marriage. We thought that it would be a major drama, the two cultures coming in together. I was worried, like, if they would say no. Like, she was perfect to me, so I was worried if I lose her. With Radhika still living with her parents, the idea of marriage was delicately proposed to the family. Just took time to tell them and for them to react to the situation. Initially it was a bit shocking. Like, the culture is different, and I was like, 'I wonder how Dad and Mum will take it.' Initially, I told my sister-in-law and my mum, so they were kind of like the mediators. Dad's here. You could ask him the same one. Oh God. (LAUGHS) (CHUCKLES) Radhika gained her parents' approval but still needed to persuade her sceptical older brother, Radish. I was not very happy, cos it's my little sister, you know. Still says he's checking him out, so I'm like, 'OK.' (LAUGHS) He's gonna check him out forever, it's more like. That's the brother's thing, I guess. It should improve, you know, as we... (LAUGHS) Well, it better improve. (LAUGHS) It better. Romance is a concept not always associated with arranged marriage. But singer-songwriter Harmeek is determined to woo his bride-to-be Sukhpreet with a music video. In arranged marriages, love and romance normally happen after the marriage, but I will make sure, you know, once we get married, she is completely in love with me. I'd written this song after meeting Preeti. As I was writing the song, the music was already in my mind. And that's how the song came into existence. I think he's ready. OK, let's move it. (ALL LAUGH) Just one month after a formal family introductions, Harmeek and his bride-to-be were engaged, but it was far from a typical modern romance. WOMAN: Do you hold hands? Yes, I would hold hands. (LAUGHS) Yes, definitely we do hold hands. Any sneaky kisses? Uh, yes, some kisses on the forehead and hands. Yeah. (CHUCKLES) But nothing more than that? Nah, nothing more than that. OK, guys, I'm ready. All set. So, can you turn it down a little bit? Just make it a little softer. Yep, perfect. Trust me, we are gonna be very, very close to your face. Right. (CHUCKLES) Don't make me look fat. Keep going. Stop. So, I'm dedicating this song to my wife, Preeti. And I want to show her how much I love her. (UPBEAT ELECTRONIC MUSIC PLAYS) (LIP-SYNCS ALONG IN PUNJABI) Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut. So, Harmeek, like, you need to put more emotion into it. Right. And just... blow a kiss or something. Right, all good. Just push the emotion into it. Yeah. (MUSIC RESUMES PLAYING) A radio DJ, Harmeek is a star in the eyes of the Sikh community and attracts plenty of female attention. Harmeek is a bit of a ladies' man. You know, he's very well known in the community. He starts his radio programme at 8am in the morning. Every girl, every lady listens to him. When we go to the party, everybody know him, so we're really happy that he's settling down. Now we got options. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) Ready for the next shot? Yep, let's go. Harmeek may have allowed his family to choose his life partner, but it's up to him to gain her love. This is a surprise, really, for her, and I guess this would be, you know, the best gift. The amount of hard work we have put in, the love, the romance, if she feels it, I think job done. After spending little time together, Harmeek is trying his best to romance 26-year-old Sukhpreet. At the moment, I feel comfortable with him, but that's just like, not love. There is a different between like and love. Like is you just like the person. Love is from the heart. Raised in India, Sukhpreet now calls New Zealand home, but she grew up living a very traditional Sikh life, especially when it came to boys. In our tradition, girls never have romance before the marriage. So I never had a boyfriend in my life. I've never been on a date with any boy. Because I never have boyfriend. (CHUCKLES) After their engagement, the couple were allowed to date, but cultural restrictions had to be followed. Our dating was totally traditional. We normally spend our time in the public places ` shopping, eating, and one day we went for a movie. That's it. In six weeks' time, Sukhpreet will marry a man chosen by her family. A man she has never been alone with. It's really different when I gonna start living with him, because I need to share everything with him. I need to share the bed. I need to share everything in my house. So it's quite scary. Like, how will I handle it? How I respond? (CHUCKLES) Yeah, just... scary. Gurvinder and Radhika have been engaged for one year. Coming from two different religions, Sikh and Hindu, it wasn't easy gaining their parents' approval for the marriage. But the wedding difficulties have only just begun. I am a little bit nervous about trying to adapt to their culture, cos it's obviously going to be different. On Thursday there'll be the shagun ceremony at my place. And what time do you want Mum and Dad to be there? It's better they'll come, like, 9.30. Both families agree that we'll do the main function in the Sikh way, so it might be a little bit different from their culture. I've seen videos of Sikh wedding, so roughly I know what's gonna happen. It's kind of similar thing, just different names, I think. Yeah. I think, yeah. I think there's this level of understanding which needs to come from both sides. He needs to respect what we do, and I need to do the same. When Gurvinder's older brother arrives from India, he will play an important role in helping the two families come together. My brother is a father figure to me. My father passed away when I was a 6-year-old, so... He is the one who give us the father love, and he take care about us. What's happening with his visa? We are still waiting. They called Immigration and checked the status, and hopefully we'll see what can happen. Fingers crossed. Hopefully he'll make it before wedding. Yeah. Let's hope that he's here. His presence will make a lot of difference. Family means everything to me. So that's my world. Family is my world. While Gurvinder awaits the arrival of his big brother, his sister is teaching Radhika a very important Sikh tradition. Then we go back. (LAUGHS) OK. Dancing is a major for a Sikh wedding, so she'd rather get used to it and get in the training mode. OK, so you be Gurvinder. I'll tell you what you have to do. I be Gurvinder? For a while. OK. So, you have to come like this. (SPEAKS PUNJABI LYRIC) And then... (REPEATS PUNJABI LYRIC) OK. (CHUCKLES) I'll show you again. So, when it starts... (SINGS PUNJABI LYRIC) (REPEATS PUNJABI LYRIC) I'm not a born dancer, so, yeah, things will be a challenge for me. How many steps are there? So, after this dip here, we do that? Then there's a turn? Who's going? I'm going down. He gets up, and then I do that, huh? Oh my God, OK. Trying to remember the steps, that's the thing I find more difficult, I think. Yeah, I'm not a keen dancer. I know how much dance means to Gurvinder and his family. There's always that fear that I would muck things up. I think I need more practice. (CHUCKLES) It's one month until Harmeek weds Sukhpreet, a woman chosen for him by his family in a traditional Sikh arranged marriage. In arranged marriages, love and romance normally happen after the marriage. But I will make sure, you know, once we get married, she is completely in love with me. At the moment, I feel comfortable with him. But that's just like, not love. Love is not the only thing Harmeek is looking for. He and his sister Inderpreet hope the marriage will fill a gap left by the death of their parents. My parents, they passed away in a brutal road accident. They were actually coming back from temple, and their car met with a bus, and they passed away on spot. After that incident, it feels like the whole world is upside down, you know. I can bear any problem after that. That was, you know, life-changing. Look at... Mum. Yeah. (BOTH CHUCKLE) Carrying two softies at a time. Yeah. (LAUGHS) You remember Mum and Dad was always asking me, 'Looking for the girl for Harmeek?' I say, 'Yeah. 'I'm looking for the girl.' And Mum and Dad was very excited if... Yeah. Yeah. My sister always had that privilege from my mum to find a bride for me. But after they passed away, you know, she took it as her first duty. Mum would be proud of you. Like, you know, you matched me with a good girl. You know, we always wanted to have a family, you know. We were not just looking for a girl alone. Mm-hm. And I guess, you know, Preeti family, you know, will fill that part as well. Yeah. (BRIGHT MUSIC) Sukhpreet arrived in New Zealand two years ago to live and work with her uncle and aunt and attracted plenty of attention in the local community. When Sukhpreet came into our lives in New Zealand, and because she's so beautiful, we started seeing that there were lots of boys around. And I said to my husband, you know, she's going to get a proposal very soon. And that's exactly what happened. She would come home and tell me how the boys in the colleges trying to talk her and approach her. Facebook is loaded with people trying to propose to her. When my friend told me about Harmeek, I go through his Facebook page. After watching his videos and pictures, the first word came in my mind, it's like, 'He's handsome.' Harmeek has all the qualities that I'm looking in a groom ` smart, supportive, family person. He's always a respectful person, a caring person. And I think my family make a perfect choice for me. It's common for Indian couples to make a video announcing their engagement as a build-up to the wedding. Same as a car. Accelerator down there. Right. Brake. Right. Don't run anybody over. (LAUGHS) For Harmeek and Sukhpreet, it's an opportunity to act out their idea of a love story. This is our pre-wedding shoot. Yeah, lots of people are doing this. It's not our real life. It's a dream. We're creating romantic scenes that show the love we want to have and romance we want to have in our future. Yeah, it's a good chance to know each other. I try my best to make him happy, but it's a little bit hard for me to adjust with a romantic guy. I feel shy whenever he holds my hand and, uh, he tries to hug me. In the future, I will be comfortable, but it takes time. The couple will marry in India next month, having spent just a few days with each other. I think as we get to know each other, our love is slowly growing. Before getting actually married, the amount of time we have, I think it's a good amount. We're not over meeting each other, which gonna keep, you know, that juicy part alive, you know, when we actually finally gonna be together. So it's a good thing. (GENTLE GUITAR MUSIC) One week out from the wedding, and Gurvinder has received the news that his older brother will not be able to attend the ceremony. Elder brother is not here, so I wanted to postpone it. Just, I want his presence with me. He is like my father. I'm just holding my tears. Sorry. (SNIFFLES) (SNIFFLES) He... He's the oldest one. And seriously, I can't` like, I can't think getting married without him. (SNIFFLES) With less than a week until Gurvinder and Radhika's big day, Gurvinder's family are struggling with the news that his older brother won't be attending the wedding. She is missing him. We all are missing him, yeah. He should be here. It's, like, really sad for us. We can't enjoy the wedding celebration and stuff without him. So we are really sad about it. Because for his wedding, we all were together. So, yeah, so it's a bit sad for the family. She was sad since morning. It's OK, Mama. Losing their father when Gurvinder was still a boy, his brother took on the responsibility of supporting the family. Brother is not here, so feeling a little bit pressure on my head, you know. Like, it was in my mind I can postpone the wedding. * Enjoy endless data on your favourite social apps with Vodafone Social Pass, and get free social data for 90 days when you switch to Vodafone. Gurvinder has discovered his brother won't be able to get a visa in time to attend. The family must now decide whether the wedding can still go ahead without him. As head of the family, the final decision lies with Gurvinder's brother. It is very important. My brother was telling me, 'Don't worry if I'm not here. You guys enjoy the event. 'All right, do your best. Make 100% out of it.' He was saying, 'I'll be there via Skype. I'll video-call.' Feeling a little bit better, you know, but will miss him a lot. Yeah, no one can, you know, replace him. But, yeah, but the way he's talking and, you know, he's giving us strength. Today marks the start of three days of wedding celebrations. So, this is the beginning of the wedding. (GIGGLES) Yay. Despite the positive atmosphere, it's still uncertain whether the families' Hindu and Sikh cultures will come together harmoniously. So, these are some of the things that will be taken as gifts to groom's place. The sweets, fruits, clothes and some nuts. Main reason for giving sweet is that we have a sweeter relationship all along our life. When there is a mixture of two different cultures, we got to accommodate what the other culture has and what we have. Unless and until we do this right from the beginning, I think we have soured the relationship right from the beginning. Because my side of the family, they have no experience or anything, like, as to what happens, so that pressure level was quite high that morning. Radhika's family have arrived at the groom's home to participate in a Sikh ceremony that will officially confirm the wedding and bond the two families together. I haven't done it before, so... (LAUGHS) Something new. Still learning, eh? (LAUGHS) It's all right, my one? Can you do it? All right? OK, we ready? Ready to roll? The family look the part, but they are heading into the unknown. (TENTATIVE MUSIC) Radhika's family, when they were coming for my shagun, can be difficult for them to understand what's going on, like, in different language, so I don't think they might be having a clue what the priest is saying. (TENTATIVE MUSIC CONTINUES) We just has been asked, like, what's expected of us first time, I guess, yeah, so we get used to it. (BRIGHT MUSIC) After a tentative start, the ceremony has allowed the two families to find acceptance and celebrate their union for the first time. Radhika's family, they did awesomely. It's kind of a satisfaction. You can say they did it properly and they liked the food. (CHUCKLES) Except for my immediate families, I don't have much family here. But Radhika, like, she got a lot of families living here, so it's kind of a good support to me as well. So I'm looking for to it, yeah. (LAUGHTER) In India, it's the morning of Harmeek and Sukhpreet's traditional Sikh arranged wedding. It's our wedding day. It's a big day for both me and Preeti. There are a number of religious ceremonies to be done. So the first part was to get up early, to get dressed up as soon as possible, get some pictures done for the Facebook and stuff. It's a long journey to cover. From my place to Preeti's, you know, it was, like, three hours' drive. It's a bit emotional, you know, what was going on to the head, because you are the man of the day. It's a special part of your life, being a boy now to being a man, you know. It feels awesome, yeah. (CHANTING) When I first saw Harmeek, what came out from my mouth was just, 'Wow, he's looking really smart.' I just sneaked my eyes on her. 'Oh, she's looking beautiful.' She was looking exactly what I dreamed of, looking super gorgeous. She nailed it. It's totally serious moment. We even didn't see each other. Our whole marriage stands on this process, you know. So it has to be extra special, and you have to be patient, you know. The rest beautiful. I mean, once it's completed, you know, you feel like, 'Oh, thank God it's done.' (CHUCKLES) Unfortunately, I don't have my parents today with me, but I'm pretty sure they would have been, you know, showering their blessing on me and Preeti and all our family. After the wedding, we share everything with each other ` our happiness, sadness and up and downs in the life. So now we are just one soul. After returning to New Zealand, Sukhpreet will move in with Harmeek. But will they find love after marriage? If you are Maori and 18 or over, the time has come again to make an important choice. Do you want to be enrolled on the General Roll or the Maori Roll? This choice affects who you can vote for to represent you and your area in Parliament. Either way, you'll still be able to vote for any party you like when there's an election. You don't get to choose again for another six years, so let's think about it now. If you're not sure what it's all about, talk it over with your whanau and friends. You'll receive some info in the mail next week. Now is your time to choose. Harmeek and Sukhpreet married in India four weeks ago and are back in New Zealand, settling in to married life. Here to get some sweets for my wife. She has a sweet tooth, so I think, you know, it would be a good idea to give her some sweets. Unable to woo Sukhpreet before marriage, Harmeek is now taking every opportunity to express his love for his wife. As it is arranged marriage, romance is definitely very important. I can make her fall in love with me through my romance. Treating Sukhpreet to her favourite sweets isn't Harmeek's only surprise. Hello. Hello. How are you? Got some sweets for you. That's for what? For... For nothing. Just to, you know, share something good for you. Oh, really? Yep. OK. So what's the good news? I hope, uh` It's a surprise for you. Come. We'll sit. OK. Oh, it's my favourite. Really? Yeah. OK. Thank God. Thank you. Yep. And here's a video for you. I'm dedicating this song to my wife, Preeti. I want to show her how much I love her. (SINGS IN PUNJABI) The big question is ` have all Harmeek's romantic gestures sparked true love? Surprise. It's really nice. Thank you so much. You're welcome. I'm very happy. I never expect something from` something like this from him. (MUSIC CONTINUES) (CONTINUES SINGING IN PUNJABI) Playing a role of husband, I do feel like it's my duty that, you know, when she comes home, she must be cheered up, she must feel like she's still at her own home, you know. It's a lifelong journey for us, and, uh... Yes. (CHUCKLES) Enjoying. Really enjoying. I think the love is growing every day. Yeah. I think in every moment. Every moment, yeah. I can't imagine, uh, my life without her now, yeah. So sweet of you. (BOTH LAUGH) Yeah. Gurvinder and Radhika's semi-arranged marriage is two days away. So, this is my wedding outfit. It's a little bit heavy. The bride-to-be has always lived with her parents, but once married, she will be moving in with her husband's family. Everything's coming real now. Yeah, like, I've been preparing myself that it's gonna come someday, but then now it's happening. Yeah, so I'm mentally prepared about moving houses. Mum will feel it, and Dad will definitely. They all will feel it. I think I would miss that comfort zone with my parents. Moving out and living with someone else, I'd be having that, like, level of pressure that things are expected from me. Accommodating both Sikh and Hindu cultural traditions has added extra pressure for Radhika and her large family. Gurvinder always wanted a small wedding, but then looking at my side of the family and there's just, like, so many people. Most of my families are here, so I had to keep that in mind. Having agreed to follow both Sikh and Hindu pre-wedding ceremonies, Gurvinder's family has one final Sikh ritual for Radhika. So, tonight we are here for the ceremony chunni chadana. It's like an official engagement. She's declared the bride-to-be. It's been passed to us by our forefathers, and we should, you know, keep on giving it to our future generations. They don't do this tradition. This is something new for her. We put this veil on, and then we give her one dried date. So she has to eat that full. (LAUGHTER) They made me eat so many sweets. Yeah, they were just shoving sweets in my face. It's like, 'OK...' I didn't know that there were so many of them, so initially they were big bites, and then I was like, 'OK, no, I need to go small on my bites.' Yeah, so I've been going to the gym for the past so many months, and this is me on that day getting all the sugar rush and... (CHUCKLES) Eventually, Radhika's family relax into more familiar Hindu wedding customs. I was feeling the love there. Cos there were families travelling from overseas, so it was a platform and a time for them to meet as well. The Hindu women take the party out to the street for an ancient Fijian-Indian ritual. (PERCUSSION MUSIC) (ALL SING) These ladies are praying to Mother Earth, because in our culture we have to do all sorts of prayers, but we begin with Mother Earth, because she is the one that provides everything for us. If we don't do it, if something goes wrong, we'll say, 'Oh, we should have done that,' you know. Because it has been done throughout our lives, so we think it is part of our culture and we are proud of it. The following morning dawns on a sombre mood at Gurvinder's. For us, it's a bit difficult because we all are not here. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, if we were home in India, so there would be 50 approximately, minimum. Brother is not here, so it is taking away a lot of happiness. It's not a little bit. It's a lot of happiness. The family may have heavy hearts about missing Gurvinder's big brother, but it's important that all Sikh rituals are completed regardless. My mum wants to do all these traditions. They got married traditionally, so she wants her kids to get married traditionally. I'm getting married once, so she wants to do it everything. I was very happy when my mum was putting the vatna on my face. I was feeling blessed, and I'm very happy she's with me, staying in New Zealand now. I feel very proud of her, raising three kids by her own. It's a very brave thing. As the big day draws closer, the impending responsibility of being a husband is dawning on Gurvinder. I'm very, very much nervous about becoming the husband. Radhika's coming to our place, and how is she going to cope with my family? All those sort of things. And husband is kind of responsibility. You're getting one more responsibility on your head, taking care of her and all this bits. Hindu bride Radhika is just hours away from her semi-arranged marriage. Feeling really sad, because yesterday I felt it was her final night, you know. And then from today onwards she'll be gone. So I'm not feeling that excited about that. Yeah, she's in tears from the morning from yesterday. So I hope she's gonna cope. (TENSE MUSIC) When I first got out of bed, I was like, 'OK, this is it. This is the day.' So I was very worried about the main dance which Gurvinder and I will do in the reception. But my biggest worry is the dress, which is so heavy. There's four times I need to sit down, get up. Yeah, I could fall down. Oh God. (LAUGHS) At the groom's home, Gurvinder is transforming from shy bachelor to Sikh prince. It's more than five years since I've worn the turban. The feeling is awesome. You feel different when you wear it. It make me very proud of my culture. You feel like a prince. (LAUGHS) Yeah, it's all set. The stage is set. We're going to get married now, yeah. I'm feeling nervous. I want everything to go properly. (TENTATIVE MUSIC) At the Sikh temple, the bride must wait, hidden from view. I'm sitting in this room. I think the windows are all shut, and it's quite hot. I'm quite nervous. And there's added pressure ` being a Hindu bride about to perform an unfamiliar Sikh ceremony in front of Gurvinder's entire family. (MEN SING) When I was waiting there, I was not thinking anything. I was just sitting, ignoring everyone. If you think about others, then you'll be more nervous. I was just sitting there, closing my eyes, relaxing, just calm down. Walking down the aisle, I was really nervous. I was scared. I didn't know what to do. Whether to smile, or would that be offensive? (LAUGHS) No. Oh, what to do? Cos, yeah... Cos the bride has to be shy and bow her head down. Is that the case? (CHANTING) All eyes are on Radhika to manage the foreign traditions and be the perfect bride. Everyone's looking at you at the time, so you're like, 'OK, you need to do this right.' And then there's just me standing up and down with my gown. And then there was my sister-in-law from the back, tapping me, 'It's all right. You can do this.' The couple are now man and wife. It's a joyous moment for Gurvinder's brother, watching from India. So now it's OK. It's all over. Now we can sit and relax. I was feeling blessed. She's going to be my wife. Very lucky. So, after the ceremony, we headed back to my place, where my sister-in-law, she performed this ritual which was done with milk in water. One, two, three, go. (LAUGHTER) I shouldn't do that! (LAUGHS) OK, it's all right. The significance of that is whoever gets it first wins the game and they will dominate in the marriage. Yeah. (SLOW MUSIC) But it's not all fun and games, as Radhika must now leave her family and officially join Gurvinder's. Leaving my home would be the hardest thing I've ever done, and leaving my parents behind was the hardest thing I've ever done. And then I saw my brother, and then that's it. I just lost it then. (SOBS) Everyone was emotional then. You know, the emotions were coming out. Especially when Radhika's father and brother started crying. I was giving strength to Radhika's dad and brother. 'Don't worry. I'll make sure I take care of her. 'And my family will take care of her as well.' (SLOW MUSIC CONTINUES) I'm nervous about becoming a wife, but I believe that I'm marrying a perfect guy, and I know that if he's there, things will be OK, and I can see the level of trust and support in him. And that's why I think I'm marrying the right person. (UPBEAT MUSIC) Later that day, both families have come together again for the wedding reception. And there's still one more Sikh tradition Radhika must perform. But have her dance lessons paid off? I'm not a dancer, so I feel quite nervous. I know dance is a big thing with Sikh weddings, but let's just hope that things go as planned. (CHEERING) From the moment he started dancing, Gurvinder was quite confident. I was like, 'Whatever I do, just keep pushing me out to it.' (CHEERING, APPLAUSE) (UPBEAT MUSIC) There was a blend of two cultures. Yeah, there was a blend of two cultures and traditions which went quite smoothly, huh? Quite smoothly, yeah. I'm settling in quite OK. Trying to learn his ways. Um... Ways, good. Yeah. MAN: And is the love growing faster and faster every day? Uh... (BOTH LAUGH) What? You're meant to say yes. Uh, yes, it's growing day by day. Emotions are getting stronger. It took a while for us to make ourselves realise that, 'OK, this is it. We're married now.' BOTH: 'We're married now.' With time, it will grow. Mm. Captions by Desney Shaw. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2018 Made with the support of NZ On Air.
Subjects
  • Television programs--New Zealand
  • Arranged marriage