Thappads for papads: Watch fists fly at a Kerala wedding

Fights over dowry demands or a brawl after a drink too many are not uncommon at weddings. But this one at a Kerala wedding takes the cake - or rather, the papad.

A video going viral shows a raging fist fight at a wedding in Kerala after some friends of the bridegroom were denied an extra papad.

The incident happened at a wedding at Haripad in Alappuzha district last week, Manorama News reported.


This was what happened. The friends of the groom demanded more papad, or pappadam as it is called in Malayalam, during the wedding feast. The servers said no, there was a verbal spat, and it escalated into an ugly fight in which three people were injured and tables and chairs were broken.

Now, anyone familiar with Kerala weddings would agree that a feast, or sadya, is serious business. The papad, served in the sadya at the left corner of the banana leaf, is no trifle. Some would like to have it with the rice and dal at the first serving. Some would like to wait till the end to mash it up with the banana and payasam. And some would want it for both, or more, combinations.

Angry voices over the papad or payasam running short are common at weddings, but a full-fledged fight over papad has been unheard of.

This video will show how violent that fight was.

Fifteen people were booked in connection with the incident, and the owner of the venue who tried to stop the fight was among those injured.

The incident spawned scores of jokes and memes on social media platforms. "Thappads for papads" commented a user. "WWE for papad," said another. Some memes featured wedding invitations with the line: 'Bring your own papad.'