105 couples tie knot in Kashmir’s biggest mass wedding
105 couples tie knot in Kashmir’s biggest mass wedding, prompts calls for more 105 couples tied knot at Amar Singh Club in Srinagar on Sunday in what was called the biggest mass wedding of Kashmir Valley. “Our motive is to promote simple marriages and reduce flamboyance in the society,” said council chairman Musadiq Hussain. “Many of our youngsters are crossing the marriageable ages because they are not able to fulfil the societal customs or give dowry,” he said. Hussain said that this is for the fourth year that they have arranged such mass wedding where imams perform their nikah. “In 2015, some 38 couples tied the knot, 70 in 2016 and 75 in 2017 and 105 this year,” he said. Historian and social activist Zarief Ahmad Zarief said such events are first step towards social awakening of the youth. “It is a welcome step and should be replicated in every mohalla and masjid.Our society has reached a point where our brides and grooms are crossing 40 years of age because we have burdened our marriages with heavy customs,” he said. “Those who spend lakhs on weddings of their children, they should first see whether their neighbours have been able to marry their wards. We are fast turning into a hedonistic society where we hardly bother to look for our poor neighbours or relatives,” Hussain said. “Most of these people are from poor families and desperately wanted to get their children married. Of 210 persons, 42 are orphan,” Hussain added. The age of people marrying ranged from 25 to 45 years. “One of the women is aged 40 and her to be husband is 45. Both belonged to extremely poor families. The only member of bride’s family is her old mother, who is suffering from cancer. Now the people were telling the groom to shift into bride’s home to take care of his mother-in-law,” Hussain said. -PTC News
