The highly anticipated wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant is scheduled for July 12 at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC). A notable highlight of the wedding plans is the inclusion of a chaat stall from the renowned Kashi Chaat Bhandaar in Varanasi.
As part of the pre-wedding festivities, Reliance Foundation founder and chairman Nita Ambani visited Varanasi last month to seek blessings at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. During her visit, she personally invited Rakesh Keshari, the owner of Kashi Chaat Bhandaar, after sampling various chaats at his establishment.
Keshari’s team has been commissioned to set up a chaat stall at the wedding, featuring popular items such as tikki, tomato chaat, palak chaat, chana kachori, and kulfi. “Nita Ambani came to our chaat bhandaar on June 24, where she tasted tikki chaat, tomato chaat, palak chaat, and kulfi falooda. She was very happy and said that the chaat of Banaras is very famous. It was a pleasure to serve her,” Keshari told ANI.
Following Nita Ambani’s visit, Kashi Chaat Bhandaar has experienced a significant increase in customers, both local and international. Tourists from around the world have flocked to the shop to try the chaat that impressed Nita Ambani. Anika, a resident of South Africa, shared her experience: “I heard that Nita Ambani came here and ate Kashi chaat. My husband and I came to this shop to taste it. It’s very good chaat, and all the guests at Anant Ambani’s wedding will enjoy it.”
Sakshi from Surat, Gujarat, said, “I came here after hearing about Nita Ambani’s visit. I saw it on TV and Instagram reels. We tasted all types of chaat here. It was a great experience, especially knowing this is the same shop Nita Ambani visited.”
The chaat shop has become a social media sensation, resulting in long queues of tourists eager to taste its offerings. The grand wedding festivities are meticulously planned, adhering to traditional Hindu Vedic customs. The main ceremonies will commence on Friday, July 12, with the auspicious Shubh Vivah, or wedding function. Guests are encouraged to embrace the spirit of the occasion by dressing in traditional Indian attire.
The celebrations will continue on Saturday, July 13, with Shubh Aashirwad, and the final event, Mangal Utsav or the wedding reception, is scheduled for Sunday, July 14. For this grand occasion, guests have been asked to dress in ‘Indian chic.’ Radhika Merchant, daughter of Encore Healthcare CEO Viren Merchant and entrepreneur Shaila Merchant, is set to join the Ambani family, marking a union of two prominent industrialist families.