Frogs 'married' to please rain gods 'divorced' after floods in MP

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Two frogs that were united in holy matrimony on July 19, to please the rain Gods, have now been divorced. The grand, unconventional ceremony was consummated in Udupi with the hope of bringing adequate showers in the region.

However, the people who solemnized this marriage came to believe that this union brought about rainfall in excess, leading to flood-like situations in several parts of Madhya Pradesh. Thus, to contain the further fury of nature, the two frogs were divorced by members of the Pancharatna Seva Trust, reported News18.

In this month alone, the state saw an increase in monsoon showers by 26%. Several parts of MP were reportedly inundated also, with Bhopal recording 48mm of rainfall.

The two frogs – Varun from Kalsanka in Udupi and Varsha from Kolalagiri in Kilinje – were married off at 'Simhalagna', which is considered to be an auspicious time for such bizarre rituals. The ceremony was organised by the Nagarika Samithi and Pancharatna Seva Trust, but the frogs were divorced by Bhopal’s Om Shiv Seva Shakti Mandal.

The Seva Trust’s General Secretary Nityanand Olakadu, who performed the rituals, said ‘Mandooka Kalyanotsava’ is a common practice in India to usher the rain Gods and save people from droughts. However, since they literally got more than they had asked for, calling ff their marriage became imperative to “save” Madhya Pradesh.

Notably, aside from being illogical and absurd, such rituals involving animals are often torturous. People indulging in them have faced backlash from rights activists and environmentalists for forcefully taking out animals from their natural habitat.