This Bengali-Goan wedding was all about celebrating family, tradition, and homecoming

When Shinjini Kundu and Raunak Borker first started talking in October 2020, they were living very different lives. Kundu was a medical resident at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, while Borker, an engineer, was working remotely near Pittsburgh. They had both grown up on opposite sides of the world – she in suburban New York and he in Goa – but soon realised their lives had crossed paths more than once. They had both studied at Stanford and even lived in Pittsburgh without ever meeting.

Their first date took place during the pandemic after Borker drove to Baltimore. They spent the day walking around the Inner Harbor, eating gelato in the chilly November weather and talking for hours. They became so engrossed in conversation that they accidentally wandered into an unfamiliar neighbourhood before quickly jogging back. Three dates later, Kundu suggested that he move to Baltimore. Since he had already begun working remotely, he instantly said yes, and thus began their journey to forever.

A few years later, Borker planned to propose at the same waterfront where they had shared their first date. However, his original plan was interrupted when Kundu unexpectedly travelled to Paris with her sister, forcing him to cancel everything. Once she returned, he invited her for brunch by the harbour. After handing her a bouquet of red roses from the car trunk, he got down on one knee with a ring. A passing kayaker cheered as she said yes. And exactly one year later, they got married.

Their wedding celebrations unfolded over two weeks across Goa and Kolkata, giving both families the opportunity to experience each other's traditions. Before the wedding, Borker's family hosted traditional Goan ceremonies including the thread ceremony, Devkarya and Kelvan. Kundu also celebrated multiple Bengali Aiburobhat ceremonies with her family, along with a rehearsal dinner that nodded to her American upbringing.

Around 200 guests travelled from Goa, the United States, England, and Australia for the wedding at Taj New Town in Kolkata. For many of Borker's relatives, it was their first Bengali wedding. Rather than simplifying customs for an international guest list, the couple embraced every ritual, with family members happily explaining traditions and food to one another throughout the celebrations.

For Kundu, getting married in West Bengal carried deep emotional meaning. Her parents had left India nearly four decades earlier, and returning to marry on the same wooden piri (a ceremonial wooden stool) her grandmother had used in 1964 felt like continuing a family story. The son of her grandparents' priest even officiated the ceremony decades later. Wearing a classic Banarasi sari, a mukut, and heirloom jewellery that had been passed down through generations, she entered the ceremony carried on the family piri with her face hidden behind paan leaves. When they were finally lowered during the shubho drishti ritual, she saw Borker waiting in a traditional dhoti and topor.

After the wedding came the vidai, a Satyanarayan Puja, and a short honeymoon in Goa before the celebrations continued with a beachside reception at Holiday Inn Resort Goa. Around 400 guests gathered on Mobor Beach, where Kundu wore a striking multicoloured chevron lehenga weighing nearly six kilograms. The couple entered to Ed Sheeran's 'Perfect', danced to a live band and served tropical cocktails inspired by Goa, including drinks made with feni.

Between Kolkata's timeless rituals and Goa's easy-going spirit, Kundu and Borker's wedding reflected everything that brought them together. Guests discovered new traditions, families embraced each other's cultures, and the couple celebrated not just where they came from, but the life they are building together.

All images: Rabin's Photography

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