IndiGo Flight Cancelled, Techie Couple Attends Own Reception Online

A unique and unexpected scene unfolded in Karnataka's Hubballi when a newlywed couple had to attend their own reception virtually, after widespread IndiGo flight cancellations prevented them from travelling to the city. The reception of Medha Kshirsagar of Hubballi and Sangama Das of Odisha's Bhubaneswar, both software engineers working in Bengaluru, was scheduled to be held at Gujarat Bhavan, Hubballi. The couple got married in Bhubaneswar on November 23, and a formal reception was arranged at the bride's hometown on Wednesday. However, the event took an unusual turn after IndiGo cancelled multiple flights due to an ongoing pilot shortage across the country. The bride and groom, who had booked tickets from Bhubaneswar to Bengaluru and onwards to Hubballi for December 2, were stranded after their flights were repeatedly delayed from 9 AM on Tuesday until early morning the next day. The flight was eventually cancelled on December 3. Several relatives travelling via Bhubaneswar-Mumbai-Hubballi also faced cancellations. With guests already gathered and all preparations in place, the bride's parents stepped in and sat in the seats reserved for the couple to perform the rituals. The bride and groom, fully dressed for the occasion in Bhubaneswar, joined the reception through video conferencing.