MUAR: The wedding reception for Indian couple J. Suresh Nair and S. Ramya is different from their peers.

It’s a typical Chinese wedding dinner with shouts of yam seng (cheers) echoing across the hall where 80 per cent of the guests are Chinese.

Chopsticks are missing from the dining table and are replaced with forks and spoons in this Chinese wedding dinner, where even the wedding invitation cards are printed in Chinese.

The newly-weds entered the hall in accordance with the Chinese rituals. They also cut the wedding cake on the stage with a Chinese master of ceremony, and greeted the guests on stage.

Indian singer Raju Kumara, popularly known as Xiao Hei in the Chinese community for singing Hokkien songs, was present to entertain the guests at the wedding reception.

Raju Kumara is one of Jeganathan’s neighbours.

The highlight of the 50-table wedding dinner held at the hall of SJK (C) Pu Nan in Bakri, Muar, was of course the shouts of yam seng from one table to another.

Suresh’s father S. Jeganathan speaks fluent Hokkien and some Mandarin. He has lots of friends, neighbours and business associates who are Chinese.

Jeganathan said he used to attend Chinese weddings but not those hosted by his relatives.

This time, he took the opportunity for his relatives to experience Chinese wedding reception to help foster ties between different ethnic groups and promote mutual understanding.

Suresh and Ramya tied the knot in traditional Indian wedding rituals on 30 August while the wedding reception was held in a Chinese style.

Jeganathan said his success in business was due to the support and guidance from his Chinese friends.

This wedding reception was an opportunity to pay tribute to his Chinese friends.

Suresh and his younger sister speak fluent Mandarin as they studied in Chinese primary schools.

In conjunction with the happy occasion, Jeganathan donated RM1,000 to SJKC Chin Terh, Suresh’s alma mater, and another RM1,000 to SJKC Pu Nan, the alma mater of the younger daughter.