: On Christmas day, 236 women, who lost their fathers and belong to lower middle class families, are set for lavish marriage in a mass wedding ceremony organised by a Surat-based realtor and diamond trader Mahesh Savani, who has so far sponsored marriage of 800 fatherless women in Gujarat.
The mass wedding will involve three days festivities with thousands of guests joining in the event, which will be held from December 22 to 25. At the gala wedding of 236 couples, each girl will be given a set of household items including furniture, gold jewellery set, and expensive clothes to set up their new homes.
“Last year, I sponsored marriage of 151 fatherless girls. Since 2008, I have been sponsoring weddings for girls who lost their father and have no other social support in their families,” Mr Savani said, adding, “almost 800 girls call me papa as I have become their foster father.”
Asked about expenses, the 48 year old Mr Savani said, “his family has a rich tradition of social service and helping girls of poor families is very sacred to his family so he is doing it.”
“I spent Rs five crore last year when 151 girls were married off. This year, it will be substantially higher,” he said.
The death of his employee in 2008, just weeks before his daughter's wedding made Mr. Savani to launch a mission to help young fatherless girls.
“I was very shocked when one of my employees and also a distant relative died just two weeks before he could marry off his two daughters. It was very difficult for the family to arrange for marriage and then I stepped in and continue this mission," he said.
"I make no distinction of caste or religion. Hindu, Muslim or Christian, high caste or low caste – anyone who comes to me seeking help is welcome. I just ask for death certificate of the girl's father and then I take care of expenses for wedding."
This year, according to him, out of 236 girls to be married off, several Muslim girls will perform nikah in the mass ceremony in presence of more than 50,000 people.
