Source: The Herald Tribune
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040531/NEWS/405310314/1060
On May 31, 2004 The Herald Tribune reported, "Shaan Kunwar's ride on the back of a white horse to the front steps of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Sunday served as more than just an elegant precursor to his marital vows with Anita Rajan. The ride was part of a ceremony, described by Rajan as 'a traditional south Indian Hindu wedding,' that members of the region's Indian community said wouldn't have been possible here 10 years ago. Rajan said a wedding of this kind requires a large Indian community, and a mass of people with knowledge of Indian tradition. Family members said the region has experienced enough growth in its Indian community in recent years to make such events possible. The wedding drew 450 people -- roughly 95 percent of the Indian populations of Sarasota and Manatee counties, Rajan said."