Marriages are made in heaven but the expenditure incurred on them could be hell. Emulating the rich and adhering to societal demands burns a hole in the pocket but none dares to swim against the tide. It’s a Catch 22 situation for many a middle class Muslim family in Hyderabad.
Drop into any shadikhana and the delectable spread is a treat not just to the eyes but to the palate too. Should one go in for the succulent kebabs, the piping hot mutton biryani, the sizzling ‘Murgh Mussalam or settle for the ‘marag’ (the thin mutton soup). One is spoilt for choice.
Concerned citizens have now come together to enforce austerity measures to protect the community from falling into the debt trap just to show off. A campaign has been launched to promote the concept of just ‘Ek khana, ek meetha’ (one dish, one sweet) norm in Muslim marriages. Religious scholars, social activists, intelligentsia and representatives of community organisations are being roped in. Tehreek-e-Muslim Shabban, a city-based NGO, is taking the lead in the campaign against ostentatious marriages while Zahid Ali Khan, Editor of popular Urdu daily ‘Siasat’, has thrown his weight behind it.
The movement against lavish marriages was formally launched from the Masjide Husaini in Vijayanagar Colony the other day.
The idea is to make mosques the focal point of social reforms. “Presently, many families are borrowing money to perform marriages on a grand scale and unable to come out of the debt trap. We want to save people from the curse of interest so that their economy can be strengthened,” says Mushtaq Mallik, president, Tehreek-e-Muslim Shabban.
“Extravagance is prohibited in Islam,” says Mr. Khan, who is using his newspaper to promote simplicity in marriages.
