No horses, no band: Groom sets out on boat to bride's village in flood-hit Ballia - Watch video

NEW DELHI: In a bizarre case, a groom in Ballia set out on a boat to bring home his bride, navigating the flooded waters of the Ganga. As the river crossed the danger mark and much of the area remained submerged, the wedding procession chose not to postpone the event, instead, they sailed through it.

With no elephants, horses or wedding bands in sight, the groom arrived quietly on a boat, disembarking on the riverbank to complete the rituals. Despite the flood-induced devastation, the atmosphere was festive. A video of the procession where the groom and guests are seen travelling by boat has now gone viral on social media.

बलिया में एक दूल्हा अपनी दुल्हन को लेने के लिए नाव पर निकला। शादी की तारीख पहले से तय थी। बाढ़ आने के बाद शादी टालना मुश्किल था। हाथी-घोड़े और बैंड-बाजे के बिना सादगी से दूल्हा नाव से गंगा किनारे उतरा। बाढ़ की विभीषिका के बीच भी उत्सवी माहौल कायम है। #flooding #Flood pic.twitter.com/vumdGGbWwy

— Bhadohi Wallah (@Mithileshdhar) August 7, 2025

In the clip, the videographer can be heard asking those on the boat if they are part of the wedding procession (baraat), to which they responded, "Yes”.

Reacting to the video, one netizen sarcastically wrote, “Such brave people can only be found in Bihar." The other user commented, “This is nothing new in Bihar.”

Locals said the wedding date had been fixed long in advance and postponing it wasn’t an option. With roads underwater, the only way to reach the bride’s village was by boat.