The relief on his face was palpable. Holding a matrimonial bio-data and photo, he grinned from ear to ear. Yes, Syed Rasheed did the seemingly impossible; he ultimately found the right alliance for his daughter.
Rasheed was not alone in bliss. There were many like him who felt immensely relieved to zero in on the right choice for their wards. Mumtaz College in Malakpet was abuzz with activity on Sunday.
No, there was no exam or students. Instead, the college was packed with parents who turned up in large numbers to seek an alliance for their children.
ADVERTISEMENT
The platform ‘Du-ba-du’(face to face) was provided by the Urdu daily
The huge turnout only showed the desperation of parents to find a match for their children which wouldn’t cost them a bomb. Marriages are made in heaven, but the expenditure incurred on them is hell.
The increasing trend in the Muslim community to perform extravagant marriages has put many a family in a fix, particularly the middle-classes.
ADVERTISEMENT
The plight of parents with marriageable daughters is pitiable.
“The intention of this programme is to encourage marriages without any demands. The response is good,” said Zaheeruddin Ali Khan, Managing Editor, Siasat .
The whole thing was organised in a systematic way. Once parents registered the names of their wards, bio-data and photos were circulated among the aspirants. The counselling was done by experts who took pains to stress the need for simple ‘nikah’ minus any ‘jehez’ demands.
Candidates were categorised as per their qualifications – SSC, Intermediate, MCA, MBA, Postgraduates, Medicine, Engineering. There were also separate sections for the religious minded - Aalim, Fazil and Hafiz. A separate counter for the second timers was also arranged. About 80 persons registered for second marriage and nine alliances were settled on the spot.
However, parents were in for a dilemma with better qualified girls than boys.
“One has no choice but to compromise,” said Abid Siddiqui, president, Minority Development Forum.