In cosmopolitan Karachi, tying the knot Marathi style

By
anjum
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38
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Just as the sun began to go down and the frantic hustle-bustle of public transport waned, women wearing Banarasi saris, and their children dancing to the rhythm of drumbeats, start pouring into a marriage hall. Inside the city’s red zone, near five star hotels and the Sindh Chief Minister’s House, the marriage hall is illuminated with lights and chairs set around a round table for the grand ceremony.
In one corner, on a raised platform under a mandap (canopy), a white-haired pandit (priest) wearing a shawl printed with Hindi verses gets ready for the holy ritual. Suddenly, someone shouted “Dulha aagaya” (the groom has arrived) and the guests sitting inside the hall rush towards the main entrance.
Attired in a maroon Sherwani and wearing a Sehra (floral headdress), the groom, surrounded by a large number of females, entered the marriage hall. A few minutes later, the dulhan (bride) – also wearing maroon sari and a sehra – arrives inside. The sari with golden borders and a matching bindiya with traditional jewellery including nath (nose ring), adds to the beauty of the bride. This is the scene of a traditional Marathi wedding in the city and the stage is all set for the couple to tie nuptials. A Marathi wedding may not be such a surprise in the city, as according to local Maharashtrians, around 250 Marathi families (around 2,500 members) are still living in Karachi. Marathi Hindus under the surnames of Gaikwar and Jadav among others are living in Sindh.
Despite their tiny numbers, Maharashtrians’ presence confirms the cosmopolitan nature of the city.
Sindh is the only place in Pakistan where one can find Marathi, Gujarati, Behari, Rajasthani and even people from Kerala and other Indian states.
As Sindh was part of the Bombay Presidency under the British Raj, a large number of people from different Indian states flocked to Sindh. After partition, many of them returned but a few of them stayed behind.
Inside the wedding mandap, the pandit starts reciting a mantra from the holy book.
Holding each others’ hands, the couple starts pheras (circling) of the holy fire set in the middle of the mandap.
The relatives shower the couple with cereal grains, wishing them a happy and prosperous life ahead.
Talking with Pakistan Today, some wedding participants said that a traditional Maharashtrian wedding entirely different from the one witnessed in Karachi.
“The actual Marathi nuptials are held during the day time and there are no pheras (circles around holy fire). The couple stands in two separate baskets with a white cloth as a curtain between them and then the pandit recites the basic rituals,” they said.
“Under the influence from Indian films and dramas on Star Plus channel, the local Marathi people are forgetting their culture,” an elderly participant at the wedding told Pakistan Today.
She said that usually the Marathi brides drape themselves in a green sari, which is considered a fortunate colour, but now they have started wearing different colours. “The Maharashtrians in Sindh have forgotten their traditional rituals like Shakar Puda (distribution of sugar on engagement), Kelvan (family feast) and Pithi (mixture of turmeric, sandalwood, scented oil and cream prepared for bride) among other rituals.”
Living far away from their own culture for several decades in this cosmopolitan city, many young Maharashtrians cannot even speak their mother tongue now, which is turning out to be a matter of great concern for their elderly, who think that their culture might be lost under the influence of films and dramas.

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38 COMMENTS

  1. Wow. Nice Article. There have been many Marathi families from Karachi who moved back to India after partition of India. During partition there was no Maharashtra and Gujarat, there was Bombay Presidency and Sindh was part of Bombay Presidency. There were many Marathi speakers in Karachi. Even now there are many Kokani Muslims from Maharashtra who migrated to Pakistan after partition. Not sure whether they speak Marathi now.

  2. There were some pictures of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrated by Marathi folks from Karachi in Dawn sometime back

  3. Fearing the loss of their identity in Pakistan, most of the 117 Marathi families living in Karachi want to take the first possible flight to Mumbai and settle in Maharashtra.
    http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_marathi-fam…

    Dilip Bhosale (35), who married a girl from Mulund in December 2006, has been renewing the visa of her passport every three months. He wants to migrate to India with his family as soon as possible. He speaks broken Marathi like other fellow Marathis in the city.

    Though these families do not face any threat from the locals, their safety cannot be ensured in case of any untoward incident like the riots of 1993 in Mumbai. “Being the molecule minority, we always lead suppressed and secondary lives,” said Parmesh Jadhav (44), who works in a restaurant in Karachi. There are around 400 Marathis in Pakistan.

    “With the availability of so many Hindi channels and their depiction of Hindu culture has led us realise that we are distancing ourselves from our culture. Ours is the last generation that speaks Marathi and I am afraid that my kids will carry ahead the legacy of Marathi language. They are taught either in Urdu, Sindhi or in English,” Jadhav said.

    He reveals that even his generation cannot write Marathi and all the correspondence that is done during religious festivals are in English and Urdu. Satyanarayan pooja is performed by Sindhi-speaking priests. The community celebrates Ganapati, Mahashivaratri festivals in Karachi.

    “Hindi serials on Star Plus, Zee TV and programmes depicting cultural ties on National Geography have made us realize that our ties have totally broken from our culture. There is no source available for our kids to get the information on our culture,” said Prakash Gaikwad.

    He adds that the Marathi population is restricted only to Karachi. “There are no other Marathi families in Pakistan. All of us want to migrate to Maharashtra. We do not have any ancestral property or the locality to relate with except for relatives in some parts of Maharashtra. Almost all of us are from the lower and middle class, making it difficult for us to take a decision like migrating to Maharashtra,” he added. They expect the Maharashtra government to help them in easing out on the visa procedures to help their communities.

    When asked about the repercussions of the 1993 Mumbai riots, Jadhav said, “We were saved by the Urdu-speaking Muslims in our neighbourhood after the 1993 riots. Temples were destroyed and burnt, some Hindu houses were looted, but the lives were saved.”

  4. Fearing the loss of their identity in Pakistan, most of the 117 Marathi families living in Karachi want to take the first possible flight to Mumbai and settle in Maharashtra.

  6. My one uncle named M Y Pradhan was staying in karachi even after partition. Can some one help me to get some info of his family.

    Also my fathers friend Mr. Daruwalla, who was serving in Fedaral Bank of Pakistan I would like to know about him too.

    God is GRT.

    Sadanand Pradhan

  7. i came to know that hindu girls are kidnapped in pakistan, they are rapped, converted to islam forcefully, american congress lodge a protest aganist asif ali zardari failing to protect the rights of minorities.

  11. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT MARATHI COMMUNITY IN KARACHI .IS SOME CONTACT AVAILABLE .

  14. If they are safe there is no reason for Marathi families from Karachi to leave Pakistan. They should retain close relations with other Hindus so that they can jointly start Schools for minority communities where not only Hindi but also Marathi should be taught….. Dr. Ravi Kumar Bhargava

  15. I have read all the comment, No responce from marathis in pakistan.Why? How can we contact our marathis in Pakistan? Is there any way? I want to do somethink for marathis in Pakistan.Who wants to join me? Pl. contact anybody from Karachi.

  16. did palavs leave pakistan in 1947.are they called the karachi palavs.their is a cooperative housing society of marathi people who fled pakistan in 1947 & formed their own housing society in mumbai

  17. nice article reg karachi marathi community.hope there should be a way to regularly get connected to these.also heard about marathi schools and sathe buscuit factory existed in karachi.

  19. I have mentioned just briefly about Marathi people living in Pakistan before 1947 , in my Marathi book , " Manzil-e-maqsood…….Pakistan " which is my travel story of Pakistan , nevertheless, it was a surprise to me to know that there are still living in Karachi ,about two hundred families of Marathi origin. I shall be pleased to interact with some such family-members. …..PRAVIN KARKHANIS [email protected].

  20. There are so many Bangla desis come to Mumbai without visa. How can these people can not come back if they know marathi?

  23. It seems Marathis or entire Hindu community for that matter (to whatever number has survived by massacre orchestrated by barbaric people) is way too threatened even to respond from that side of border. We can see only comments from India, not from Pakistani Hindus.
    I admire by the way Pakistan Today by the way for great article.

  24. For more information add me on facebook [email protected]. There is a group by the name of Shri Maharashtra Punchayat (Official), n page also by the name Shri Maharashtra Punchayat (Karachi-Pakistan) .

  26. When I read this article I loose my heart with My Marathi Families who are there in Pakistan. I Hope they will come back to their land Maharashtra One day. I will definitely help My Maharastrian Brothers and Sisters who ant to come back.

  27. Mananiya Mukhyamantri Saheb,

    Ya vishayavar aapan kahitari karave ashi vinanti karto.

  28. Very interesting article about the Marathi's in Pakistan. Celebration of Hindu festivals and Marathi rituals along with a Marathi speaking school (NGV vidyalaya). This is really amaizing! This is changing my views towards Pakistan! I wish in near future if both India & Pakistan form a brotherly bond once again!!

  30. I want to contact marathi people in karachi or anywher in pakistan if possible give me the telephone No. so i can contact them. my landline no. is 91-251-2381471. so contact on this no.

  34. Would like India or Maharastra government to bring our people back ज़र shown interest by my brothers in Karachi would try बेस्ट in individual capacity़

    जय महाराष्ट्र!

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