SOCIETY

21 couples wed at a mass marriage ceremony in UP

     Turkpatti (Uttar Pradesh): A group of 21 impoverished village girls tied nuptial knot at a mass marriage ceremony in Kushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh on Monday. A large number of people attended the marriage ceremony that was organised by a local NGO, K.D.Shahi Memorial Organisation. The organisation not only bore the entire expense of the marriage but also provided household items to the couples as gifts in order to help them set up their new homes. The newly married couples were excited that the marriages were conducted without dowry. "I am happy that this marriage is being organised without any dowry. Whatever we are getting here we won't have got it otherwise. I am very happy," said Byas Sharma, a groom. The organisers said that with this they wanted to help families belonging to lower income group in the rural areas who face difficulty in getting their daughters married. "Marriage expenses are increasing day by day and poor families find it difficult to get their daughters married. The basic problem faced by the family is the lack of money for buying gifts for newly married couples or even for treating the guests. Due to this, poor families are unable to get their daughters married in time which becomes a major problem in the rural family," said Deep Narayan Aggarwal, Vice-Chairman of K.D.Shahi Memorial Organisation. As marriages become costly affair now a day in the country, the concept of mass-marriage is gaining popularity amongst the economically backward as it eases a huge financial burden. Though several organisations are active in creating an awareness against high-cost marriages, social evils like "dowry" are still rampant in Indian society where the girl's parents pay off huge amounts of money to the bridegroom in acceptance of marriage.
-May 31, 2005

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