When I was around five years old, India underwent a period of economic liberalisation that, among other things, brought consumerism to us. The new choices we were given meant that many older cars started to become obsolete. In the district surrounding Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, I was excited to find fabricators transforming such outmoded cars with cultural motifs to give them a new role as procession vehicles. These are used on the night of a couple’s wedding reception, to help announce their betrothal to the people of their town. The bride and groom’s families arrive separately at a temple where a small ceremony is performed. After the ceremony, the newly married couple sit on the procession vehicle and share a soft drink; the spotlight is on them, literally, while their families walk ahead, leading the procession to a reception hall. The families are accompanied by a band, adding to the spectacle. On the platform fitted to these vehicles you’ll see chairs surrounded by an area of decoration known as the ‘disco’. This is usually made up of papier-mâché sculptures with bulbs glued to them, powered by a generator hidden in the vehicle’s boot. The tradition of modifying and renovating vehicles – for wedding processions and many other uses – is strong in the Indian countryside. The fabricators are creative: they enjoy catering to the public’s eclectic requests.
Set on vintage foundations like a Mahindra jeep and (opposite, top) a Premier Padmini, the adornment of procession vehicles – inspired by Hindu epics, such as the Ramayana – includes horses pulling a chariot and peacocks