Srinagar,23-Mar; As many as thirty one couples on Wednesday tied the knot in a simple mass marriage function held at Baba demb in Srinagar.The couples from various districts of the Valley tied their knots in a marriage organised by a local non-governmental organisation (NGO), The Helping Hand’s foundation.Helping hands NGO has previously held such functions, but this year’s event, with 31 couples, was the biggest so far, organisers said.“Nowadays many unwanted customs have crept into our society and as a result holding of marriages has become unaffordable for many. We see cases where women in their thirties and even forties are not getting married due to these customs. We want to spread a positive message through this mass marriage where we 31 couples married from different districts of the Valley,” Umer Wani President Helping Hands said.Wani while appreciating the generosity of Kashmiri in particular added that these functions are sponsored by donors who do not wish to be named. Using the donation money, the NGO takes care basic things including marriage dresses for the brides.The couples register themselves with the organization and after verifying their credentials and other details; the NGO starts arrangements for their marriage. The couples are from economically weaker sections of the society.“We verify their credentials and antecedents to find out whether they really deserve monetary and social support or not. Once we find that they do, the organization starts arrangements for their marriage, one of the members added.Despite the modest celebrations, the brides and grooms said they were happy to get married off at a mass wedding. Some of their relatives said they did not have the means to organise the weddings of their children.These kinds of marriages should be encouraged. Every day, we hear stories about parents who are unable to marry their children because they cannot afford a dowry or expensive weddings. Above all, we are Muslims, and Islam encourages uncomplicated marriages, “a bride said.“I am happy with the simple wedding. I have three daughters and today my 2nd daughter got married. It wasn’t possible for me to arrange elaborate weddings for them,” mother of one of the bride said.The organisers wanted rich people to think before spending opulently on their marriages. Those who spend lakhs on the weddings of their children should first see whether their neighbours have been able to marry their wards. (CNS
