Your support helps us to tell the story<\/p>\n
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n
Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong>Read more<\/p>\n Jennifer Lopez<\/a> headlined one of the most extravagant Indian weddings of the year<\/a> this week, performing a high-energy concert at the Udaipur celebrations of US-based pharmaceutical heiress Netra Mantena and New York tech entrepreneur Vamsi Gadiraju. <\/p>\n The three-day celebrations, held between 21 and 23 November, were hosted across some of the western Indian city\u2019s most lavish venues, including the Jagmandir Island Palace on Lake Pichola and the opulent The Leela Palace hotel.<\/p>\n The bride is the daughter of Orlando-based Rama Raju Mantena, <\/strong>chairman and CEO of Ingenus Pharmaceuticals. <\/p>\n The groom is the co-founder and chief technology officer of Superorder, a US-based software platform used by multi-location restaurants to manage delivery operations.<\/p>\n The celebrations <\/a>started with haldi and mehendi ceremonies at the Taj Lake Palace and sangeet at the City Palace complex before the wedding<\/a> itself was held at the Jagmandir Island Palace, a 17th-century monument in the middle of a lake, the broadcaster NDTV reported. <\/p>\n Haldi, mehendi and sangeet are pre-wedding <\/a>ceremonies common to many regions of India<\/a>. The haldi ceremony sees friends and family apply turmeric to bless and protect the couple and the mehendi involves the bride\u2019s hands and feet being decorated with intricate henna patterns in a celebratory gathering. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n Sangeet is a high-spirited night of music and dancing led by friends and relatives that is meant to break the ice between families but is now marked at high-profile weddings <\/a>by celebrity performers. <\/p>\n The over-the-top wedding festivities<\/a> of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani\u2019s <\/a>son Anant last year saw the likes of Rihanna<\/a>, Katy Perry<\/a>, Andrea Bocelli, and Justin Bieber<\/a> flown in as performers, and global celebrities like Kim Kardashian and former world leaders like Boris Johnson and <\/a>Tony Blair as guests<\/a>. <\/p>\n The reception of Mantena and Gadiraju took place at the Leela Palace on 23rd November, one of Udaipur\u2019s most expensive luxury hotels. <\/p>\n