Hyderabad: Marriage celebrations gobbling up life savings of middle class

Hyderabad: The City of Pearls, which is known for its nawabi culture and lavish weddings, remains a cynosure of traditional and ornate parties, particularly when it comes to marriages. Even though it is a sumptuous ceremony for the guests, the hosts owing to cultural ethos shed off lakhs of rupees. As things have become expensive, the 3-day wedding ceremony for any middle-class family would now cost from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh, which surely is their savings of years.

According to a survey by the Tehreek Muslim Shabban (TMS), while the bride's family spends as much as Rs 8 lakh to Rs 10 lakh and the groom's family spends a little more than Rs 5 lakh. "Marriage has become a grand celebration in today's society resulting in debts. However the Islamic Shariah stands against the extravagant expenditure and directs simple weddings. Lack of Islamic values and showoff attitude has transformed simple weddings to grandiose ones," stated Mushtaq Malik, president of TMS.

The recent suicide case of Gujarat's Ayesha Arif Khan triggered the debate, forcing people to organise simple wedding. For the same, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board initiated 'Simple &Masnoon Nikah Campaign' at the national level.

To counter the ongoing dowry culture the community social organisation—Socio-Reforms Society has come up with a solution of pre-marriage and post-marriage counselling between two families. Aleem Khan Falaki, its incharge, claims that the dowry in today's time is sugar coated as gift or love for daughter. "It is the responsibility of the elders of society to control such acts and they should conduct pre-marriage and post-marriage counselling for families and encourage 'simple marriage' concept and educate them about the importance of mutual understanding," he said.

Ironically, during the pre-wedding rituals the girl's family is asked to give 'phares' that is the list of things she would bring with her among which include cash demanded, furniture, vehicle, electronics, gold, silver and also utensils.

Clarifying on the Islamic laws, Falaki states that dinner from bride's parents is Haraam (forbidden) in Islam. "Islamic laws empower women with 'Meher' (gift payment from groom to bride) at time of marriage and lay responsibility of setting up the house on man as he is the 'Qawwam' (caretaker) of the family," he said.

The Socio Reforms Society also organised a bike rally as an awareness campaign against dowry in the city on Thursday. The 200 youngsters who participated pledged not to demand or accept dowry and also to boycott lavish weddings.

Other socio and Islamic organisations in the city have constituted a Committee of 101 members which include Muftis, Maulanas and other volunteers who will work to put an end to lavish weddings and would promote simple marriages. A centre disseminating all dos and don'ts about weddings as per the Islamic Shariah would also be inaugurated in the mosques by the committee, which shall begin before the commencement of Ramzan this season.

Moreover, the volunteers would begin door-to-door campaigning on simple marriages and after Ramadan they would protest silently with a placard in front of the function halls, added Mushtaq Malik.