In the first ever mass marriage in Kashmir, 105 couples on Sunday tied the knot at Amar Singh Club here with hundreds of people watching the auspicious occasion.
The function, simple but impressive, was organized by Jaffri council. The couples hailed from different parts of Kashmir including Uri, Pattan, Baramulla, Sumbal and Srinagar and Budgam districts.
Although the Jaffri council has previously held such occasions, this was the biggest ever such even where more than a 100 couples wedded to each other.
About how this grand event materialized, Ghulam Rasool Chakan, general secretary Jaffri Council of Jammu and Kashmir said, “Couples do come and register with us and for a proof we seek their details and verify to check if they deserve the help.”
“We visit their homes and recheck the details they submit,” he said, adding that the council has a number of donors (donating money) who do not wish to be identified and they fund this annual exercise.
“We give some items (gifts) to the couples after the ceremony is over,” Chakan said.
“This year, we are giving as many as 41 items to these new families as the basic support from the council which is funded by the donors.”
As the word about the mass marriage spread, there were hundreds of people who came to be part of the major event. Media, donors and the families of the 105 couples along with the organisers converted the Amar Singh Club into a major activity space on Sunday.
In 2015 the Council facilitated marriage of 38 couples from deserving categories of the society. In 2016, 70 couples married at a joint function and in 2017 the number was 75.
In Srinagar district 10,000 girls have crossed the marriageable age, a survey conducted by a Kashmir based Trust had revealed.
Tehreek-e-Fahalluh-Muslimeen Trust had said that the number of unmarried over-aged women in Srinagar district was around 10,000. “In 2016 and 2017, our trust in collaboration with local civil society members conducted an extensive survey to ascertain the number of unmarried poor girls in the Downtown Srinagar. We were astonished to find out that around 10,000 girls have attained or even passed the marriageable age. They couldn’t get married due to their poverty,” said secretary of the trust.
“Our motive was to help them. We had planned to seek funds from the well-off people to help them marry. However due to huge number of unmarried girls, we could not fulfill our task. But we have all the details.”