15 couples, 7 vows: Sights from a mass Hindu wedding in Tando Adam
Entering the marriage hall is like walking inside a shaadi scene from an old-school Bollywood film. The bride’s sakhian (friends) run around and giggle. There is an overdose of festive colours and floral decorations. The event looks more like a funfair than a wedding, thanks to the 2,000 guests in attendance.
There is one key difference between the weddings on screen and this particular ceremony though: this is a mass marriage where multiple couples are simultaneously tying the knot.
The 15 couples, all from lower-income Hindu households, could not have imagined that they would be wedded in such style. But thanks to the Odero Lal Welfare Organisation, and various other social groups and individuals who have helped finance the ceremony, the brides and grooms feel like royalty on this winter eve.