Four months after their white wedding in the US, actor Anshuman Jha and American triathlete, vegan chef and yoga instructor Sierra Winters got hitched once again in India, following the traditions of a Maithil wedding. “Vedic wedding was always on the cards for us, but Covid and visa issues restricted the celebrations last year,” says Jha, who believes in keeping the traditions alive because “there is deeper meaning in all our Vedic customs”.

“Sierra is actually more Indian than most people that I know. She went through every custom in totality. We both even did the no-salt fast for four days after our wedding to culminate the ceremony. She loves and respects India and its traditions immensely; she had a blast at the haldi, mehendi and sangeet,” Jha elaborates on all the rituals that the couple followed during the ceremonies and how his wife, Winters, liked them.

Not just Winters, but her family was equally curious and loved everything about the Indian wedding, reveals Jha. “They understood some of the traditions by themselves. For the rest, we had a parallel translation of the mantras being recited into English, as we wanted everyone to understand what was being said so that we lived up to the sacred vows we took. After the wedding, the two of us went and fed jaggery to the cows at the Govardhan Eco Village (Maharashtra). And that was an incredible experience,” the Lakadbaggha actor tells us.

Before exchanging rings last year, Jha and Winters were in a “long-distance relationship for more than three years”.