With all the excitement, but none of the fuss of a big fat Indian wedding, 25 couples from the economically-weaker sections tied the knot here on a pleasant Saturday afternoon.
Guild for Service, an NGO, was responsible for the simple dowry-free ceremony. The Guild organises remarriage of widows, weddings of their children and helps couples in inter-caste marriages. Coming from Nangloi, Najafgarh, Ghaziabad and Noida, the couples at Saturday’s ceremony were having trouble financing their nuptials.
A Hindu priest performed the ceremony in front of some 300 guests. This was followed by a some family planning counselling. Chairperson of Guild for Service Dr. V. Mohini Giri said: “We also gave the couples condoms for a year and counselled them about having two children.”
Aam Aadmi Party MLA Somnath Bharti, who was present, gave all the couples a registered certificate, which they could used to get their marriage registered at their local courts.
“The ceremony not only saved costs, but I also saw it inculcate a binding love in the couples. The entire event was sponsored by a couple from Kolkata who were celebrating their 25th anniversary,” said Mr. Bharti.
After the ceremony, the brides were gifted cell phones and the couples were given basic necessities to set up their new homes.
Dr. Giri said: “We will keep in touch with the couples for a year to see how they are doing and the women have been asked to contact us in case of any harassment or problems.”
Their organisation has conducted over 50,000 such weddings since 1971, she added.
