Baramulla Auqaf Committee Takes Stand Against Extravagant Weddings

Srinagar, Jul 24: The Auqaf committee of Bangdara in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district has announced a modest marriage system which it said would end the financial burden on families, promote social equality, and fix the late marriage problem in the region.

The Auqaf said that the people should free themselves from the extravagant traditional customs of marriage, which with time is getting more and more thriftless, burdening a majority of working class people.

Quoting the chairman of Auqaf Committee Bangdara, Abdul Majeed Khan, news agency KNO reported that a joint meeting was held on Tuesday where the escalation of improvident weddings was discussed. This trend, Khan said, disregarded religious and cultural values of the community.

To counter this, a decision was taken to withdraw these practices from the weddings while ensuring the ceremonies reflect the religious teachings, said Khan.

He said that they have decided to simplify the famous Wazwan menu, keeping it modest and that there is no specific limit on the amount to be spent on a wedding.

The limit, Khan said, was not only to secure religious teachings but to save the environment and prevent health issues too. He said that the excessive wastage from Wazwan including plastic items and food wasted in huge quantities do more harm than good to our surroundings.

Khan said that the decision shouldn’t only be confined to their locality but across the Kashmir valley. “We are witnessing the growing trend of extravagant marriage systems, which forces the poor to follow suit,” said Firdous Ahmed, a local resident.

“A poor father, who earns only enough to put food on the table for his family cannot afford 20 dishes for a wedding. We are already grappling with financial crises. It is the responsibility of everyone to adopt this step and conduct their weddings in a simple and modest manner,” he said.

Similarly, Mushtaq Ahmed, a local preacher while hailing the efforts of the Auqaf Committee, said that the step is appreciable and needs to be implemented in a way that it gives a sense of equality and unity.

He said that high-cost weddings are taking a heavy toll on both boys and girls and their families, leading to late marriages, which is a serious issue in Kashmir.