Pandemic casts shadow on traditional Indian weddings

Celebrating the wedding of your loved ones and making fun-filled memories for a lifetime is a dream for many. The Indian weddings are a multi-crore industry and more importantly are community events celebrated by near and dear grandly and pompously. Still the tradition is on among the Hyderabadis, when grooms arrive at wedding venues by riding ghodi (she-horse) or on a horse-drawn baggi with a grand 'Band-Baaja-Baraat' and baraatis.

However, this year too, the corona virus pandemic has cast its shadow on the traditional big fat Indian weddings celebrated by all communities of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and others. It has mostly affected the wedding organisers and other stakeholders and also those involved in renting of horses and baggi for weddings are hoping that at least horses would be booked as most of the castes follow the tradition of groom arriving for the marriage ritual by riding ghodi (she-horse).

One can still observe that most of the families in all communities perform the wedding functions traditionally. As people from various communities like Hindu, Rajputs, Marwadi, Sikh, Jain, Yadav, Agarwals and some of the Muslims book horses, baggi, lightings, bands, doli etc., and rituals of groom on she-horse and baggi way to his wedding venue. Even the modern luxury sedans have not stolen their spotlight.

According to the businessman of renting horses, as the season of weddings is passing sans 'Band Baaja Baraat' observing pandemic, we are hoping that at least horses would be booked as most of the castes follow the rituals of groom arriving for the marriage by riding she-horse. "Still most of the grooms in various communities in Hyderabad prefer to take a riding she-horse or a horse baggi with lights, band, baaja, baraat. But now the owners of horses and the business have been worse affected during the season of weddings after the lockdown as most of the marriages are being organised in a low-fete," said Mohammed Aslam, owner of Md Aslam & Co that was formed in 1912 at Hoontwadi, Jummerat Bazar near River Musi.

"We earn our annual income during this wedding season. The low-fete weddings have spread pain and troubles for us. We used to receive at least 15 bookings per month during the wedding season, but now for the last two years we have lost the opportunity and hardly we are receiving 2-3 bookings in a month and are staring at a loss of over Rs 5 lakh. Not one but a group of 30 people working in the company are being affected," said Aslam.

Besides weddings, they are not getting bookings for festivals like Ram Navami yatras, and rallies for Milad, and Giyarveeh Shareef etc.

As it is a tradition in our family, groom to arrive in a horse-baggi with band-baaja-baraat including lights at wedding venue, but now witnessing the pandemic, I have booked only a she-horse as per ritual groom riding horse and no bands or a lights," said Tarun Agarwal, who recently booked a she-horse for wedding of his son.

While, Mohammed Zameeruddin, owner of Patel & Co said "There is no business right now even after 2 month of lifting the lockdown. Several other local businesses have turned normal but we are still waiting for bookings. We are sanitising our horses, buggies, dolis and showing it to the customers but we are not receiving any orders for baraats."

"The scale and size of grand weddings will come down and these are challenging times for the caretakers of horses at Hoontwadi," he added.

History of Hoonthwadi

This was started since the Nizam period, the area which was allotted near the banks of Musi River near Muslim Jung Pul by the wife of Nizam, Umda Begum, was named as Hoontwadi as it was a dedicated market for horses and camels.

More than a century ago, the business of using these animals in functions began. And the business was started by great grandfather Jaani Bhai, who used to run this shop in the period of Nizam. Since then the trend of booking animals for functions has been going on.