News Analysis India

Tag: Maharashtra Wedding

  • Maharashtra: Interfaith wedding ceremony called off after protests on social media

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Buckling under pressure from their Hindu community members, parents of a 28-year-old woman in Maharashtra’s Nashik district have called off her marriage ceremony with a Muslim man, sources said.

    In a letter to the community body, the woman’s father, a jeweller, said they decided not to go ahead with the July 18 wedding ceremony due to the ‘present situation’, referring to the protests on social media after the wedding invitation card went viral.

    He said his daughter and the man had a registered marriage in May.

    “However, due to the present situation, I can’t say if they will stay together,” he said, adding his daughter is staying with her parents since the marriage registration.

    The woman was scheduled to tie the nuptial knot as per Hindu rituals.

    The online protesters had described the upcoming wedding ceremony as a case of ‘love jihad’.

    A member of the woman’s community said the man was her private tutor a few years ago and that was how they got to know each other.

    The registered marriage did not evoke any harsh reaction within the community but the family came under a lot of pressure after the invitation card of the wedding ceremony went viral on social media, a community member said.

    Social media posts and messages related to the marriage ceremony were widely circulated on WhatsApp groups and the woman’s family members also received telephonic threats, he said.

    The woman’s father, who is an office-bearer of the community body, consulted family members after the stiff opposition on social media and decided to call off the wedding ceremony, he said.

    “The woman’s father has informed us through a letter that he is calling off the marriage ceremony of his daughter due to certain circumstances,” said Sunil Mahalkar, president of Sant Narhari Maharaj Lad Suvarnakar Sanstha, Nashik.

    The decision to call off the wedding ceremony was also circulated on WhatsApp, with community members thanking various ‘suvarnakar’ (jewellers) community organisations and also the OBC Andolan Samiti, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal and Hindu Ekta Manch.

  • Man fined Rs 50,000 after over 250 guests attend daughter’s wedding in Maharashtra

    By PTI
    LATUR: A man was slapped with a fine of Rs 50,000 for allegedly violating the COVID-19 norms by inviting over 250 guests for his daughter’s wedding in Maharashtra’s Latur district, an official said on Wednesday.

    According to the local authorities, Ram Govind Biradar had organised his daughter’s wedding in Talegao (Bho) village of Deoni tehsil on Monday.

    Block development officer Manoj Raut and deputy tehsildar Vilas Tarange were inspecting the curfew in Deoni, when they noticed the event, and found 250 to 300 people gathered at the venue, the official said.

    As per the COVID-19 curbs, only 25 people are allowed to be present at weddings.

    The father of the bride was fined Rs 50,000 for flouting the norm, he added.

  • COVID-19 surge: Women cooks in Maharashtra hit hard by curtailment of wedding functions

    By PTI
    AURANGABAD: Women cooks, who used to earn a living by preparing food at marriage hall kitchens in Aurangabad, have been severely affected by the Maharashtra government’s new order restricting the timings and number of people at wedding events in the wake of the COVID-19 surge.

    These women say they are staring at a dark future as they are hardly getting any food orders now from wedding caterers and are unable to meet their daily needs.

    They have now appealed to the government to provide them financial assistance.

    Hirabai Pawar (60), who is in this profession here since the last four decades and lives with her daughter-in-law and granddaughter, told PTI that she never experienced such a crisis in her life.

    “My daughter-in-law worked in a beauty parlour, but they are also shut now. Till last year, I used to earn Rs 200 to 400 a day, but now that has stopped. I need at least Rs 2,000 per month for my medicines,” she said.

    Another local culinarian Jyoti Kathar also said she has no work and is in a dire situation.

    “My husband also does not have any income as the cloth shop where he worked is closed. Now, we cannot even provide milk to our two children as we have to curtail our expenses. They drink black tea now,” she said.

    Kathar said amid the COVID-19 pandemic, they also had to shift their children to a government school as they were not able to afford the high fees of their private educational institution.

    Another city-based cook Jijabai Pawar (45) said she never went to school, but used to be proud of handling food preparations at big kitchens of marriage caterers.

    “I used to take charge of things even if the caterer was busy with other functions. But, now my earning has stopped and our family comprising seven members is surviving only on the salary of one of my sons. A major portion of his income goes in paying our house rent,” she rued.

    Sharing similar woes, cook Sumanbai Suryavanshi (70) said she has been unable to pay her house rent for the last two months.

    “We live in Sanjay Nagar which was declared a COVID-19 hotspot last year. We took all care and none of my family members have got infected so far,” she said.

    But, she is not getting any food orders now since the state government announced that marriage ceremonies may be conducted only as a single event not extending beyond two hours with maximum of total 25 people attending the same.

    Cook Anita Khajekar said earlier when she used to work at marriage hall kitchens, she would bring the leftover food at home which would serve as her family’s meal for the day.

    “Now, I neither have the job nor that food, while my grocery expenses have almost doubled,” she said.

    Another local cook Kantabai Kale (70) said they have been suffering since the outbreak of the pandemic last year, but the government has not provided them any financial aid.

    “We heard the government has decided to help various stakeholders. The government should also look after us now,” she said.