83 Hindu couples tie the knot at mass wedding ceremony

Dressed to the nines, a flustered Paro waited for her sister, whose son was supposed to tie the knot at the mass wedding organised by the Pakistan Hindu Council on Sunday, in keeping with the council’s annual custom for the past decade.

Held at the YMCA lawns, the roads around the Sindh Governor House, unlike last year, weren’t cordoned off, but a heavy contingent of security personnel was present. Many walked through the entrance in groups, with brides covering their faces with a Ghoonghat (veil), so their faces weren’t visible until their Saat Phere (seven circumambulations) had been completed.

Speaking about the event, Pakistan Hindu Council President Engr Hotchand Karmani said the number of couples, as compared to last year’s 62, had risen to 83. “Like every year, we look after the needs of the couples all over Sindh who are interested in getting hitched during the mass ceremony. We do understand that weddings are a costly affair, and this platform gives them the opportunity to celebrate it with everyone else.

“As a part of our employment scheme, we distribute rickshaws among the people, and the drivers are also asked to provide the service free of charge to schoolchildren as well as to people with disabilities.”

He added that the event had now become a tradition and that the Hindu council tried to accommodate all those who registered for getting married. “We just ask everyone to fill in the application forms, strictly stating that no person who intends to marry should be below 18 years of age.”

Representing the Sindh governor, Seemi Malik said that it was important for state representatives to participate because it was a joyous occasion for the Hindu community. MNA Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankvani said that while the community made efforts to educate its members as well as to provide them with better job opportunities, honouring the institution of marriage was equally necessary.

He added that the event conveyed a message of tolerance, saying that the Hindu community did not only celebrate their rituals with fervour, but events like these proved that the community coexisted peacefully.

Lauding the efforts of the Hindu community, Nuzhat Shireen, chairperson of the Sindh Commission on the Status of Women, said it was indeed encouraging to see that people who could not afford to get their offspring married now had a platform to do so.

However, she also raised her concerns pertaining to the will of the couples as well as their legal age. “I would like to ask if the consent of the couples was sought before they were wedded off. “We need to understand that we live in a patriarchal society, and the consequences of forced marriages, if there are any in this case, can be devastating, especially for the women.”

She said that being a representative of the commission, she would admit that the step taken by the Hindu council was great, but the community also needed to understand that at times the opinion of the couple was ignored, which might often lead to domestic violence.

“I would like their elders to make sure that all couples are getting married willingly. The idea of marriage against will is not limited to the Hindu community alone, rather it goes for all groups, because forced marriages have grave outcomes everywhere.

“Details like education as well as marital status, in case the groom or bride have been married before, are also important to avoid any kind of conflict, which may lead to domestic violence. “To solve the problem of violence against women we would have to go deeper than the surface, because as Pakistani citizens they have the right to be protected, and this goes for all communities, irrespective of class, caste or religion.”

Meanwhile, Jaymal and Neelum of Sanghar, from where around 15 couples had arrived, sat at their Mandap, a small enclosure for the couples to do their circumambulations, to tie the knot. Upon asking, it was disclosed that while Neelum was 15, Jaymal was between 15 and 16 years of age, raising the question about the restriction of the age bracket.