From time immemorial, India has been known for its big fat weddings. Be it weighing the bride in gold as dowry or booking an entire palace for week-long celebrations, there is no limit to what Indians can do to exhibit their might in marriage.
It is a well-known fact that Indian parents, especially those of a girl many times go bankrupt while providing for the grandeur of her wedding. With little say, buried under societal norms things have remained grim, only coated with glitter for eyewash.
Ironically a matrimonial site based in New Delhi, Nikah Forever, ideated the need to cut down big fat weddings long before the pandemic happened.
In conversation with LifeBeyondNumbers, the CEO of Nikah Forever, Mr. Hammad Rahman shared how his team came up with the campaign #NoToBigFatWedding with the goal to promote sweet and simple weddings.
“Our team was always concerned about the amount spent on lavish weddings. Many a time, we would discuss the same. The question here is that why is so much spent on a wedding? For middle-class families, this can cause a lot of difficulties financially,” Mr. Hammad expressed his concern which remains the backbone of the campaign launched.
Lately, the pandemic has changed the situation and it is definitely a blessing in disguise. With limited participants, the expenses have been dramatically cut down. Though there are millions of dreamy-eyed couples and their families who are mourning over the minimal celebrations, they need to understand that there are many who are less fortunate and that expenses should always be checked well even by the abundant.
“In March, the world faced the pandemic and the idea of simpler weddings became the ‘new normal.’ Just then we launched this social media campaign. People tend to make a change either out of fear or because of a reward. Here, the COVID fear has forced people to resort to small weddings. This is a healthy trend which has to continue,” said Mr. Hammad.
With the aim to be vocal about the issue, Nikah Forever launched this signature campaign in August, sharing it largely on its Facebook and Instagram handles. Till now, there have been around 125,650 people who have signed for the cause and counting.
Many users across the internet have joined in displaying placards reading #NoToBigFatWedding.
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Plan a successful marriage, not just a beautiful wedding. @shaggu_here #NoToBigFatWedding
Speaking on the response to the campaign, Mr.Hammad said, “Our team is working day and night to engage our supporters through digital content and online events. We are connecting with people who got married in these days and asking them to share their experience. We are trying to collaborate with many influencers on social media. We are so happy with the support and positive enthusiasm received across India. The initiative will stay committed to bringing a new change in the marital culture.”
Coronavirus has not just led to enforcement of the rule for less than 50 participants (varying from state to state) in weddings but also led to virtual ceremonies. They are literally marrying on zoom or adding the relatives who are left out of the top 50 over live video calls. People are bound but perhaps that is also making this the best time to make them realize where they were wrong all the while.
“We think this is the perfect time to make people realize how the archaic traditions plague our society and encourage big pompous weddings. It’s great to see people adjusting their wedding planning, even if the driving force is the COVID-19 threat. Pandemic has made people more sensitive and comfortable in opting for minimal wedding expenditures. Together the campaign wishes to remind the world that weddings are the union of two souls rather than a trade-off between wealth and status,” concludes the CEO.
We can’t agree more with Mr. Hammad. Which one do you cheer for – a grand or a simple wedding?