Hailing from underprivileged families, sixty Hindu couples tied the knot at a mass wedding ceremony at the YMCA Ground here on Sunday.
It was a carnival-like atmosphere and the parents of those getting married were overjoyed.
Besides the hundreds of relatives of the couples, many more – including members of the majority Muslim community – came to witness the weddings that have become an important highlight of the Hindu community’s social calendar in the port city.
“We couldn’t afford the wedding expenses and were planning on a small ceremony at home,” said Radha, mother of bride Laxmi.
“Seeing so many people here, especially when they stop by and ask if we need anything, means a lot. I couldn’t have given my daughter that. It’s more than we expected,” she added, beaming.
A similar story was heard by most of the families standing beside their daughters or sons, a story of being unable to afford the wedding.
As a result, they approached the Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC) to include their children as part of the mass wedding ceremony held annually.
PHC Patron-in-chief Ramesh Kumar Vankwani said the majority of couples at the ceremony hailed from various districts and towns of Sindh, including Tharparkar, Badin, Sanghar, Tando Jam Mohammad, as well as Karachi.
“We help with arranged or love marriages only when the families are involved in every step of the decision making. Similarly, it is the same case with inter-caste marriages. We don’t get involved in their personal squabbles and ensure that the process is clear to all the parties involved,” he said.
